Malaria in Guyana is endemic in the hinterland where the main economic activities include logging and gold/diamond mining (Ministry of Health-Vector Control Services, 2013). There have been 31,479 new cases of malaria countrywide; 93% of which have come from the hinterland regions of Guyana (Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9). In that same year, Region 8 (Potaro-Sipuruni) accounted for 25% of the total number of malaria cases registered nationally (Malaria Information System [MALSYS], MoPH). This pilot project in Region 8 was developed to test a complementary malaria diagnostic tool to the gold standard for diagnosis (microscopy) in affected areas and will be used as a template for countrywide implementation.
The general objective for this project was to develop a project management plan for the Malaria RDT kits in Potaro-Sipuruni Pilot Project to determine the sensitivity and specificity of RDTs in the public health and private sector (mining/logging population) of Guyana. The specific objectives were to develop an integration management plan to coordinate the various project management activities within their respective project management process groups; to develop a scope management plan to define the work needed to undertake the pilot project; to develop a schedule management plan to establish the policies, procedures and documentation for planning, developing, managing, executing and controlling the schedule of the pilot project; to develop a cost management plan to establish the policies, procedures and documentation for planning, managing, expending and controlling the costs of the pilot project; to develop a quality mangement plan to establish the policies, procedures and documentation for identifying quality requirements and/standards for the pilot project and its deliverables; to develop a project resources management plan to establish the policies, procedures and documentation for the effective use of the persons involved in the pilot project; to develop a communications management plan to establish the processes, procedures and documentation to determine the information and communication needs of the stakeholders of the pilot project; to develop a risk management plan to define how risks will be manged in the pilot project (who will be involved with which responsibilities, which processes will be used, and which activities will be conducted); to develop a procurement plan to outline how the procurements will be managed during the life of the pilot project; and, to develop a stakeholders management plan to define the processes, procedures, tools and techniques to effectively engage stakeholders in project decisions and execution.
The methodology used for the research was analytical or explanatory. The main sources used to gather information included A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) Sixth Edition and interviews which were held with members from the Ministry of Public Health, Guyana. The information was analyzed to create each subcomponent of the subsidiary plans used to develop the Project Management Plan for the pilot project.
Each element of the Project Management Plan has been created, along with all the tools, techniques, and concepts used to justify each management decision selected for application. In order to increase the successful piloting of the Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests, the Project Manager has sought to develop the Project Management Plan by detailing the management of all critical aspects of the project. Each step was coordinated strategically to develop all the subsidiary documents which has been used as a guide during project execution. As a result of the Project managment plan, the Ministry of Public Health (and specifically Vector Control Services) was able to create a cultura of planning for better accountability and transparency, especially at the micro-level where close monitoring and supervisión are essential.
Having explored the objectives highlighted above, the following conclusions can be delineated. A project management plan for the Malaria RDT kits in Potaro-Sipuruni Pilot Project to determine the sensitivity and specificity of RDTs in the public health and private sector (mining/logging population) of Guyana was developed by integrating the knowledge areas described in the specific objectives, such as scope, schedule and cost. A scope management plan was developed using information from the project charter and consutation meetings with the main project stakeholders. The scope statement was defined; and, the WBS was set up as a means of describing the activities to accomplish the project scope. On the other hand, A schedule management plan was created using as base documents the project charter and the scope mangement plan. The schedule management plan was developed through expert judement and meetings to refine the activities list to determine resources needed to accomplish them in the allotted time-frame. A cost management plan was developed utilizing information from the project charter, the scope mangement plan and schedule mananagement plan. The project budget was created through expert judement and consultative meetings with the project team and other pertinent project stakeholders. The success of this project is hinged on the decentralization of the national malaria programme as the pilot is being implemented in one of the malaria-endemic regions of the country (Region 8). This region represents a subset of the malaria situation in the entire country.
As such, it is recommended for the management of VCS-MoPH that there be a project management plan to test the decentralization of malaria services in Region 8 prior to piloting this new intervention. Without this, there is a high probability that this project management plan would not be effectively rolled out. As it is widely known, one can have the best plan, however, if the infrastructure is not there to implement the plan, the plan is bound to be a failure. Based on the results of this pilot project, it is recommended that the funder (in this case, The Global Fund Fight Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria) consider funding a feasibility study be done for the country-wide use of malaria RDTs in public and private sectors. This is important before any attempts are made to scale-up the implementation of this intervention. On this note, it is also recommended that the management of VCSMoPH can then implement the feasibility study as the funding becomes available.
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