Report of the Sensitization workshop about the existing guidelines and procedure for treatment and prevention of Postpartum Hemorrhage

The objectives of the workshop were to Improving national guidelines/ policies that support healthy markets for misoprostol use in Postpartum Hemorrhage management at the community level through advocacy strategies. In particular it focused on sensitizing community health workers and coalition members about the national guidelines on community distribution and use of misoprostol for postpartum hemorrhage sensitizing community healthy health workers and the National Coalition members on how use advocacy strategies to improve policies that support healthy markets for misoprostol availability in community delivery channels. By the end of the workshop the participant will specifically be able to: discuss the overview of the national burden of PPH Review the case study report of GIWYN Brainstorm on the recommendations of GIWYN case study and Collectively review the recommendations and make imputes Be able to advocate for national policies that strengthen the market for health products Have the knowledge of the concept of strengthening healthy market advocacy and the universe of market actors, how policy influences market , examples from other countries and procurement process Build an action plan using PATH’s 10-Parts of Policy Advocacy Strategy for further advocacy Share Lessons Learned and Recommendation Participants There were 34 participants made up of six community health worker and twenty five National Coalition for Reproductive Justice Activists who have been previously trained as health workers. Lessons Learned The participants understood the impact and the national burden of Postpartum Hemorrhage in Nigeria and that lack of availability of misoprostol in the community health delivery channels will endanger the lives of pregnant women during birth. The participants realized that involving community health extension workers in policy advocacy is of great importance to increase healthy markets for (misoprostol). As a result, the participants learn that advocacy should be focused especially for women in the rural communities so that they can identify the uses and usefulness of misoprostol Participants have realized that government alone cannot increase misoprostol availability, affordability and awareness. To this effect, they suggested seeking support from donors, charity organizations, manufacturers, distributors, drug sellers and NGOs Having successfully understood the concept of markets and characteristic of healthy markets, the participants can now include market perspective model in their advocacy work for availability of misoprostol for PPH. The participants have learn that Misoprostol is very appropriate suitable and easy to use Examples of successful policy advocacy strategies that improved healthy markets in other countries like Uganda( to Increase access to injectable contraceptives through pharmacies and drug shops Advocacy and eliminating taxes on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria products in Africa) were learned . Participants were of the view that the above advocacy actions and strategies could be useful when adapted in Nigerian context for availability of misoprostol for PPH in the communities. Procurement and Quality were discussed with the participants .The facilitator led Participants to suggest other words for Procurement as: to Obtain, Provide, and Purchase, Access, Buy, Acquire. The participants learned that for misoprostol to be available in community delivery channels there must be an integration of market actors in procurement process from; (Manufacturers – Distributors – Whole sellers – Health providers – Consumers) The participant were of the view that the way misoprostol is procured in the community health facilities directly impacts its availability. In the case of primary health facilities before drugs including misoprostol are procured, a bank cheque must be signed by four signatories including a traditional ruler and all drugs must be sold before another can be placed. The participants learned that the government alone cannot increase healthy market for misoprostol and therefore suggested stronger procurement process to include: Sponsor by NGOs and voluntary organizations, support from religious groups, politicians and philanthropies, foreign aids, grants and donations from international organizations, social marketers, financial institutions and multi-national companies.