programs

Making Medical Injections Safer

Making Medical Injections Safer (MMIS) is a five year (2004 – 2009) project working with Nigerian national partners to establish an environment where patients, health care workers, and the community are better protected from the medical transmission of HIV and other blood-borne pathogens.

In 2004, as part of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) focusing on countries with high HIV prevalence, John Snow, Inc, (JSI) and its subcontractors, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), Academy for Educational Development, (AED), and the Manoff Group, were awarded funds through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement the "Rapid Interventions to Decrease Unsafe Injections" in 11 countries.

MMIS envisages that in every health facility, trained health care workers administer only necessary injections safely, using appropriate safe injection devices; and that health care waste is efficiently managed using methods that are safe for the community and the and the environment.

MMIS works in twelve states, namely Anambra, Bauchi, Borno, Cross River, Edo, the Federal Capital Territory, Kaduna, Kano, Lagos, Nasarawa, Oyo and Plateau states. It is also present at other PEPFAR sites in the country where it works to provide support for sustainable approaches for injection safety. MMIS provides training, support and capacity building to entrench use of safe injection as nor in health facilities. It engages in safe injection commodity management to improve the availability of safe injection equipment. It other technical approaches include advocacy and behaviour change for high quality services, reduction in the risk of needle stick injuries and reduce provision of unnecessary injections. And sharps waste management to establish the most effective practical, and safe means of waste disposal in health care settings. Through monitoring and evaluation MMIS addresses key constraints and opportunities along the path toward the overall goal of preventing new infections of HIV and hepatitis B and C.

Collaboration with the host nations in MMIS projects is central to MMIS efforts. Lasting success depends on leadership by government and private sectors and, ultimately, on local capacities for injection safety and health care waste management. To ensure sustainability, therefore, MMIS supports government to develop national plans and policies; and works through national injection safety task forces. It also promotes South-to-South exchanges of experience and builds partnerships at international and regional levels to foster collaboration.

Other programs

• COMPASS
• ENHANSE
• GHAIN