Implementation Unit Planner
The Implementation Unit Planner is an interactive tool from ESPEN designed to support health partners in planning Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaigns and surveys.
When you visit the tool, you can view country pages which show the status of funding at IU level for MDA and surveys across the four PC NTDs. This allows for strategic planning at a granular level to visualise gaps any funding gaps for MDA and surveys.
Populating the IU Planner
The IU Planner is populated with data submitted by countries through the Joint Request for Selected Medicines (JRSM) report form as part of their medicine requests. During this submission, countries provide information on funding availability for planned interventions, including MDA and surveys. Once ESPEN processes this information, it is uploaded to the IU Planner, where it becomes available for partners to review and update as necessary.
Partners are encouraged to validate and revise the information to ensure it reflects the most accurate and current plans and support for MDA campaigns and surveys. This iterative process helps maintain accurate and up-to-date records, facilitating effective decision-making and resource allocation.
How the data is verified
Once the initial data is populated, health partners and stakeholders are invited to verify and update the information. They review the details provided about their involvement and ensure that the data reflects the most current plans and support for MDA campaigns and surveys. This iterative process helps maintain accurate and up-to-date records for effective decision-making.
Users can toggle between an overview and specific pages for the four NTDs. The default view displays funding statuses by planned activities, year, and disease, while the right side shows partner organizations working in the country. A visualization breaks down the funding statuses for IUs.
Understanding the definitions of each funding status is key to effectively using the map, as they clarify the state of MDA or survey funding for each region. The definitions are:
Funding secured: Funding is available for planned interventions, including MDA and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities.
Partially funded: Funding is available for either MDA or M&E activities when both are planned.
Funding needed: Funding is not secured for any intervention scheduled.
- Funding unknown: No information has been reported on funding availability, but planning for MDA and/or M&E activities is ongoing.
- Nothing planned: MDA is not required based on reported endemicity.
Example use case: Ethiopia
Overview of activities in Ethiopia
Ethiopia with STH selected
In the STH > MDA views for 2024, users can see that many IUs have secured funding, but attention is drawn to those where funding is not secured despite planned MDA activities. Partners working in the country are listed on the right, offering an overview of current collaborations. This helps organizations identify funding gaps and areas needing further support.
STH selected and showing planned MDA activities in Ethiopia
