Ketou Healthcare Centre

The Ketou Healthcare Center is located in the area of the Plateau, accounting for close to 720,000 inhabitants. The township of Ketou is home to almost 182,000 and 15 health centers dispensing all kinds of health care services. The Ketou Healthcare Center is the main hospital of the region. Patients that are deemed untreatable in centers without doctors (nurses, midwives or caregivers usually assume that role) are transferred to Ketou where general surgery, OBGYN and pediatric services are offered, alongside general medicine as well. The personnel staffing the pharmacy are not pharmacists and have undergone training for only three months usually. They are considered pharmacy clerks.

Collaboration:

We have collaborated with the NGO Union Communautaire pour le Bien-Etre des Enfants et de la Famille (UcoBEF) as well as representatives from the Direction département de la Santé during the mission.

On the ground, we met and worked alongside extraordinary individuals, all working towards the same goal of improving the Ketou Healthcare Center. 

Objectives:

Primary objective of the mission was to evaluate the Ketou Healthcare Center and evaluate its needs regarding their stock management and medication use in order to improve their overall workflow. 

1. After our initial assessment, we were able to help the personnel in their daily tasks, managing the workspace and getting it better organized to meet their needs

2. We also worked on stock management (especially of the drugs most commonly used), and made sure that a standard of practice was enforced and upheld to further optimize patient care. 

We presented a roadmap for further improvements and presented it to government officials. 

A second team visited the center three months after our mission to follow up on the changes we put in place and build further upon our plan. 

Team Members:

• Mary Ghattas, Head of Mission

• François Samhat, assistant to the head of mission

• Anne-Sophie Pépin, volunteer and assistant to the head of mission

• Marie-Andrée Pilon, pharmacist and volunteer

• Rachel Major, pharmacy student and volunteer

• Vanessa Simard, pharmacist and volunteer

• Justine Daignault-Pépin, pharmacy student and volunteer

• Lauren Said, pharmacy student and volunteer

Current Accomplishments:

• Redevelopment of the pharmacy according to WHO standards and training for pharmacy clerks

• Optimization of inventory management and implementation of the inventory report tool created by the previous team

• Revision of the medical form (consultation prescription, laboratories, drugs and costs)

• Creation of the sales summary tool

• Creation of 4 pictograms to promote adequate medication intake (taken with food, on an empty stomach, with a source of vitamin C, avoid alcohol)

Testimonials

“Our role during this mission was to assess the needs of the health center in terms of medication management. Over the weeks, we had the chance to meet several key players in the Beninese health system in order to share our findings and recommendations with them. Our creativity was also put to the test when creating management tools to simplify and standardize the processes in place. Carrying out a humanitarian mission at the Kétou Health Center means doing a lot with a little. It is to develop your autonomy and resourcefulness. It's being part of a strong community that stands together. It's about receiving the best morning smiles from staff. It is coming home with an unparalleled sense of pride." - Mary Ghatas

Adja-Ouèrè Municipal Health Center

Team Members:

• Clara Girard, University of Montreal pharmacy student

• Soufiane Tahir, University of Montreal pharmacy student

• Kelly Lessard, pharmacist

Current Objectives:

1. Redevelopment of the pharmacy according to WHO standards and creation of a procedure

2. Development of a task list for pharmacy clerks

3. Creation of tools to facilitate document archiving

4. Creation of procedures and a register for maintaining the cold chain

5. Creation of a simplified document for the daily documentation of the sale of medicines, and creation of a supplement to the government document for the monthly documentation of the sale of medicines and medical consumables that are part of the pharmacy inventory

6. Creation of a codified system and a procedure for the management of expired and expiring products

7. Implementation of a pictogram project for taking adequate medication (taken with food, on an empty stomach, shake well, protect yourself from the sun, with a source of vitamin C, avoid alcohol, can cause drowsiness)

Ikpinlè District Health Center

Team Members:

• Anne-Sophie Otis, University of Montreal pharmacy student

• Joey Rodrigue, University of Montreal pharmacy student

• Kelly Lessard, pharmacist

Current Objectives:

1. Reclassification of drugs and their identification using plastic labels in order to comply with WHO standards

2. Recommendations made regarding the purchase of Benin essential medicines missing from the pharmacy inventory

3. Drafting of four procedures: “Temperature register”, “Classification of prescriptions and receipts”, “Expired management” and “Pictogram project” all completed

4. Implementation of the pictogram project (same as Adja-Ouèrè) completed

Pobè Area Hospital

Team Members:

• MiaKim Aubin, University of Montreal pharmacy student

• Laurence Guimond, University of Montreal pharmacy student

• Maude Pelletier, University of Montreal pharmacy student

• Jean-François Cabot, pharmacist

Current Objectives:

1. Redevelopment of the pharmacy according to WHO standards

2. Development of the expired tracking and breakage and damage monitoring grid

3. Writing of a supply list to buy for the pharmacy

4. Creation of 7 procedures (housekeeping, pharmacy layout and storage, archive management, expired and damaged management, cold chain, donation management, order receipt management)

5. Teaching procedures to employees

6. Presentation of interventions performed and recommendations to the authorities of the Departmental Health Department

Past Active Sites:

Centres De Sante Avrankou et Tokan

This mission was conducted in collaboration with the St. Camille Association. The Saint Camille Association is an African charity established in Benin since 2004 that provides services for the mentally ill. It leads a fight against all forms of social exclusion. It targets primarily the mentally ill people homeless, chained or nailed in the woods. It also combats ignorance regarding mental health, and makes efforts to eradicate ill-treatment of the mentally ill. By the hard work of its founder, Gregory Ahongbonon, surrounded by a team he has built around him seven centers operate in Benin. The patient is welcomed into a shelter, diagnosed by a psychiatrist or nurse, treated and surrounded by stakeholders (former patients) which ensure a caregiver living environment, loving and revaluation. An external network provides medication and medical care in the community. In 2010, there were more than 30,000 men and women who have benefited from the care of the organization and that are now active in their community. The Saint-Camille Association counts on donations to operate: no government funding is provided.

Objectives:

1. Improve the management of medicines in mental health centers and physical health hospital for people with mental health.

2. Train staff on site on the development of pharmacy, inventory management and order and delivery of patient counseling.

3. Optimize the use of antipsychotics through the revision of clinical guidelines, in collaboration with psychiatrists who cooperate with the Saint-Camille Association.