Project summary
Partners
Department of Health -Tete Province – Mozambique, Danida, Wincanton
The Department of Health in Tete Province, Mozambique, has the demanding task of delivering health services to a sparsely dispersed population in an area lacking sufficient transport infrastructure. An efficiently managed and well maintained Department of Health fleet is not only essential for effective health service delivery but quite literally represents a matter of life and death for the 1.6 million inhabitants of Tete province who rely on these vehicles for provision of their basic medical needs.
Commencing in September 2007, a 10 week Transaid study funded by Danida served to complete the following activities:
• Creation of a full vehicle inventory for all 12 districts including specific on site vehicle inspection data to determine current fleet composition and condition
• Execution of Operational Assessments within existing health facilities to ascertain current transport management practices
• An evaluation of both in-house and private maintenance facilities and practices
• Facilitation of a two day stakeholder workshop focusing on the findings of the study and the development of a draft transport policy
• Review of district supply routes including an assessment of roads by inspection and also interview with local informants and road users
• An evaluation of existing policies related to the operational, financial and human resource aspects of transport management within the Ministry of Health
The Problem
The Department of Health in Tete Province has a fleet comprising of approximately 200 vehicles responsible for delivering health services across a geographical area of 82,625 Square km (approximately the same size as the entire land mass of Malawi). The geography of Tete Province, in particular the location of the Cahora Bassa lake serves to complicate and extend supply routes to a number of district health centres. To emphasize the extent of the problem, one of the health centres in Zumbo is a 14 hour drive from the Provincial capital, 12 hours of that route being along unsealed dirt roads. Under these conditions the effective maintenance and repair of the vehicle fleet is of paramount importance to sustain health service delivery, as is the proficient scheduling and regulation of all aspects of fleet management.
The Process
During the 10 week study, Transaid secondee Ed O’Connor from Wincanton Logistics in the UK, in collaboration with consultant and translator Goncalo Antunes conducted a series of activities requiring many weeks of travel to all 12 district health offices and 4 hospitals within the province as well as the Provincial Health Directorate and Training Centre both found in Tete City.
Prior to the commencement of the study a fleet questionnaire had been distributed to health offices throughout the province to allow the collation of a full vehicle inventory preceding the commencement of physical vehicle inspections. One of the key outputs of his piece of work was a comprehensive and detailed vehicle inventory.
During the study a schedule of visits to district health offices was established allowing for the completion of onsite vehicle inspections, operational assessments of existing transport management procedures and interviews with key stakeholders at each location. These visits allowed the consultants to assess each sites individual processes and procedures for managing transport with specific regards to the following focus areas:
1. Situational Analysis
2. Policy
3. Operational Management
4. Fleet Management
5. Management Information
6. Human Resources & Organisation
This series of activities enabled the consultants to produce a holistic report spanning all facets of the transport operation detailing specific recommendations to optimize the efficiency of the fleet.
The Result
The report which was produced as a result of this study was the focal point for a two day workshop held with staff from every district office in attendance. A series of presentations firstly provided the audience with a basic understanding of the key concepts of efficient transport management. From this starting point the workshop moved to discuss and dissect the findings of the report, before analyzing the recommendations and looking at the practical interventions which had been proposed. The workshop was productive; along with feedback being obtained regarding the report’s findings there was also an opportunity to develop a draft policy with the stakeholders which will serve as a base document from which a final version can be developed in time.
The Impact
The feedback from district health staff during the workshop was very positive and it is hoped that this momentum towards change will continue hand in hand with support from senior management. If the recommended interventions are made allowing transport to be managed more efficiently ongoing the results will be lower operational transport costs, greater fleet efficiency, and ultimately improved service delivery to the citizens of Tete Province.
Please see Wincanton’s Diary Blog on his ten weeks in Mozambique by clicking on this link.
