GEMS+

Greater Mekong Subregion Elimination of Malaria through Surveillance

OVERVIEW

The GEMS program ensured that private health care providers provided quality malaria testing and treatment services, and that data from the private sector entered the national surveillance system to inform decision making in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam. With a significant proportion of the population in the Greater Mekong Subregion seeking treatment for fevers from private providers, engaging this sector is considered critical to achieving malaria elimination. Phase II, or GEMS+, aimed to sustainably integrate private data into national surveillance systems and transition private sector engagement from NGO to government oversight and support.

where we work

How we
work

The GEMS+ program provides a comprehensive package of support to private providers within its network. Successful integration of the private sector into national malaria programs requires the development of national policies and strategies, allocation of resources by the government dedicated to the private sector program, and sustained engagement of transitioned providers. With private sector engagement in place, PSI supports national malaria programs to oversee and utilize the malaria testing and treatment services offered by the private sector as complementary to public facilities and community providers. Over time, PSI is gradually reducing direct support to providers as national malaria programs increasingly assume ownership and oversight.

Provider Network Management

Comprehensive Training

Commodity Supply

Quality of Care

Supportive Supervision

Case Surveillance

Advocacy

Dissemination of Lessons Learned

Our
Impact

From 2016 – 2022, GEMS and GEMS+ achieved the following

3,980,194

Malaria tests conducted

100,575

Malaria cases detected, treated, and reported

1,329

Private providers and private sector outlets transitioned

Latest
NEWS

Discover What is Happening with Private
Sector Engagement and Disease Surveillance

RESOURCES

April 25, 2023

Shaping Antimalarial Drug Markets in Myanmar

April 25, 2023

Strengthening Public-Private Sector Engagement in Vietnam

April 25, 2023

Leveraging Technology for Disease Surveillance in Laos

April 25, 2023

Community Led Malaria Elimination in Cambodia

Frequently Asked Questions

In Southeast Asia, between 40-78% of the population first seek health care in the private sector, meaning that private providers potentially see most of the malaria cases in the region. It is therefore critical that private sector outlets are able to test for malaria, and are stocked with the right drugs in order to provide correct treatment.

PSI works with the private providers that at-risk communities trust most. This includes doctors working at registered private clinics and pharmacies, as well as community health volunteers and non-formal outlets that can be a significant source of drugs and advice in some areas. GEMS+ supports national malaria programs to use local evidence (including case data from the public and private sector, national stratification, supervision, and quality assessment scores) to identify a manageable number of high-performing providers in high burden areas who make a measurable contribution to the national caseload. 

Malaria elimination will fail without surveillance, and surveillance is incomplete without including data from the private sector. Without it, the government is not seeing the full picture.

PSI uses DHIS2, which is an open-source software allowing for greater access to data, and tools to help visualize data and automatically generate indicator calculations and reports. More information on DHIS2 can be found here.

OUR COMMITMENTS

The Future of Work

With overarching commitments to flexibility in our work, and greater wellbeing for our employees, we want to ensure PSI is positioned for success with a global and holistic view of talent. Under our new “work from (almost) anywhere,” or “WFAA” philosophy, we are making the necessary investments to be an employer of record in more than half of U.S. states, and consider the U.S. as one single labor market for salary purposes. Globally, we recognize the need to compete for talent everywhere; we maintain a talent center in Nairobi and a mini-hub in Abidjan. PSI also already works with our Dutch-based European partner, PSI Europe, and we’re creating a virtual talent center in the UK.

OUR COMMITMENTS

Meaningful Youth Engagement

PSI is firmly committed to the meaningful engagement of young people in our work. As signatories of the Global Consensus Statement on Meaningful Adolescent & Youth Engagement, PSI affirms that young people have a fundamental right to actively and meaningfully engage in all matters that affect their lives. PSI’s commitments aim to serve and partner with diverse young people from 10-24 years, and we have prioritized ethics and integrity in our approach. Read more about our commitments to the three core principles of respect, justice and Do No Harm in the Commitment to Ethics in Youth-Powered Design. And read more about how we are bringing our words to action in our ICPD+25 commitment, Elevating Youth Voices, Building Youth Skills for Health Design.

OUR COMMITMENTS

Zero Tolerance for Modern-Day Slavery and Human Trafficking

PSI works to ensure that its operations and supply chains are free from slavery and human trafficking. Read more about this commitment in our policy statement, endorsed by the PSI Board of Directors.

OUR COMMITMENTS

UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL COMPACT

Since 2017, PSI has been a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, a commitment to align strategies and operations with universal principles of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. Read about PSI’s commitment to the UN Global Compact here.

OUR COMMITMENTS

Environmental Sustainability

The health of PSI’s consumers is inextricably linked to the health of our planet. That’s why we’ve joined the Climate Accountability in Development as part of our commitment to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030. Read about our commitment to environmental sustainability.

OUR COMMITMENTS

Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity

PSI does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, protected veteran status or any other classification protected by applicable federal, state or local law. Read our full affirmative action and equal employment opportunity policy here.

OUR COMMITMENTS

Zero Tolerance for Discrimination and Harassment

PSI is committed to establishing and maintaining a work environment that fosters harmonious, productive working relationships and encourages mutual respect among team members. Read our policy against discrimination and harassment here.

PSI is committed to serving all health consumers with respect, and strives for the highest standards of ethical behavior. PSI is dedicated to complying with the letter and spirit of all laws, regulations and contractual obligations to which it is subject, and to ensuring that all funds with which it is entrusted are used to achieve maximum impact on its programs. PSI provides exceptionally strong financial, operational and program management systems to ensure rigorous internal controls are in place to prevent and detect fraud, waste and abuse and ensure compliance with the highest standards. Essential to this commitment is protecting the safety and well-being of our program consumers, including the most vulnerable, such as women and children. PSI maintains zero tolerance for child abuse, sexual abuse, or exploitative acts or threats by our employees, consultants, volunteers or anyone associated with the delivery of our programs and services, and takes seriously all complaints of misconduct brought to our attention.

OUR FOCUS

Diversity and Inclusion

PSI affirms its commitment to diversity and believes that when people feel respected and included they can be more honest, collaborative and successful. We believe that everyone deserves respect and equal treatment regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, cultural background or religious beliefs. Read our commitment to diversity and inclusion here. Plus, we’ve signed the CREED Pledge for Racial and Ethnic Equity. Learn more.

OUR COMMITMENTS

Gender Equality

PSI affirms gender equality is a universal human right and the achievement of it is essential to PSI’s mission. Read about our commitment to gender equality here.

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