TO MAKE HEALTH SYSTEMS MORE EFFECTIVE - Epos

EPOS Health Consultants
Hindenburgring 18
D-61348 Bad Homburg
Germany
Phone: +49 6172 930 - 370 / 373
Fax: +49 6172 930 372
E-mail: eposHQ@epos.de
Homepage: www.epos.de
Form of company:
Limited liability company (GmbH)
Commercial register: Bad Homburg, No. HRB 7327
Managing Directors: Dr. Robert Gaertner (CEO),
Dipl.-Ing. Hans Otto, Dr. Michael Niechzial
TO MAKE HEALTH SYSTEMS MORE EFFECTIVE

EPOS HEALTH CONSULTANTS
THE COMPANY
EPOS Health Consultants, based in Germany, was founded
in 1985 as an independent worldwide provider of consulting
services in the health sector. EPOS is specialised in planning,
managing, and monitoring and evaluating health projects
in developing and transition countries. Our Quality
Management System is regularly audited and certified
according to ISO 9001:2000 standards.
EPOS’ mission is to improve the quality of health services
and the performance of health care systems. During the last
20 years, EPOS has implemented over 200 projects in more
than 70 countries in the areas of
� Health Sector Reform and Health Financing
� Health Facility and Procurement Management
� Primary Health Care, Sexual and Reproductive Health
� Health Services and Quality Management
EPOS’ work in the field of primary health care and reproductive
health is enriched by its close cooperation with Impact
on Health. Impact is a non-governmental organisation
registered in Germany with branch offices in Kenya and
Sudan, which EPOS co-founded and still supports.
EPOS Beratungsgesellschaft im Gesundheitswesen mbH
(Private Sector Consulting) complements EPOS’ core
business by offering state-of-the-art consulting services
designed for health facilities in industrial and threshold
countries. Areas of expertise are Quality Management and
Accreditation, Health Services Financing based on
Diagnosis Related Groups, and Health Information Systems.
EPOS is a part of the GOPA Group. GOPA Consultants,
founded in 1965, has successfully implemented more than
3.000 projects in Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America
through its five departments Economic Development,
Human Resources and Social Development, Infrastructure
Development, Information Technology for Development,
and Rural Development and Environment.
CLIENTS, DONORS
and PARTNERS
EPOS´ business activities are traditionally rooted in donorfinanced
international development co-operation, which at
present provides 90% of the overall business volume.
However, new and innovative business fields in the framework
of non-donor financed health facility consulting have
been added to EPOS’ consulting portfolio in recent years.
Our clients comprise the whole range of health care institutions,
from ministries of health and insurance funds, regional
and local authorities, to primary, secondary and tertiary
health care providers. Ultimately, it is the benefit of health
care users which we have in mind when designing and
implementing our projects.
The company provides services to all major institutions
involved in international co-operation, including the
European Union, KfW Development Bank, the German
Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), the World Bank,
and the Asian Development Bank.
EPOS has a broad range of partners such as universities,
consulting firms and NGOs. However, EPOS maintains
complete neutrality in professional consulting and project
implementation. The company’s independence ensures that
client interests are given absolute priority.
HOW WE WORK
Projects implemented by EPOS follow a participatory
approach. We aim to reach a broad consensus among stakeholders
based on solutions adapted to local circumstances.
We strive to create a sense of ownership among target
groups, thus laying the foundation for the sustainability of
project results.
The advice given by EPOS is based on hands-on knowledge
gained during the company’s more than 20 years of experience
in implementing health projects in developing and
transition countries. This practical knowledge is complemented
by continuously taking the most recent scientific
studies and benchmarks into consideration. This ensures
that our projects can make use of all the information necessary
to provide well-founded advice in the interest of clients
and target groups.
Primary Health Care Project (PAPS) in Guatemala,
funded by GTZ (German Agency for Technical Cooperation),
2001 - 2004
EPOS HEALTH CONSULTANTS
STAFF
In addition to the core staff at its headquarters in Germany
and the company’s international long-term experts abroad,
EPOS has access to more than 1.000 health-related
specialists from all over the world, which are registered in
the GOPA group’s database. Before registration, these
experts are selected according to various criteria including
their technical and regional know-how, their knowledge and
understanding of current health and development issues,
and their experience in assessing, planning, managing, and
evaluating development programmes.
EPOS’ employees hold degrees and have experience in
health-related areas and disciplines, such as Public Health,
Medicine, Reproductive and Sexual Health, Primary Health
Care, Health Sector Reform, Hospital Management, Hospital
Information Systems, and Epidemiology. Other fields of
expertise include Project Management and Evaluation,
Quality Management and Accreditation, Law, Economics,
Business Administration and Social Sciences, as well as
Logistics and Procurement.
Should the need arise, EPOS can make full use of
GOPA Consultants’ extensive in-house expertise and
registered experts in the fields of regional development,
business promotion, public administration, and management
training.
Project Preparation at EPOS Headquaters

EPOS HEALTH CONSULTANTS
AREAS OF COMPETENCE
Health Sector Reform and Health Financing
� Decentralisation of
Health Care Systems & Services
� Institutional Capacity Building at Central, District
and Local Levels
� Health Information Systems
� Public Private Partnerships and Privatisation in
Health Care
� Health Care Financing Concepts including
Health Insurance and Prepayment Systems
� Consulting services in the framework of
Sector Wide Approaches (SWAp)
Health Facility and
Procurement Management
� Needs Assessment
� Strategic, Master and Business Planning
� Infrastructure and Equipment Planning
� Procurement Management
� Supervision of Construction and
Rehabilitation Works
� Physical Asset and Health
Facility Management
� Hospital Waste Management
Improvement of Quality of Care -
Operating Theatre in a Regional Hospital (Diourbel, Senegal)
Between February and May 2005, EPOS undertook an
assessment of the damages caused by the Tsunami at
Zanoil Abbidin Hospital in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, funded
by KfW Development Bank.
Behavioural Change Communication and
Social Marketing in HIV/AIDS (Burkina Faso)
EPOS HEALTH CONSULTANTS
Health Services Management, Quality Management
and E-Health
� Design and Implementation of Strategic and
Business Plans
� Operational Management of Hospitals and
Health Centres
� Human Resources Management
o Human Resource Policy and Planning
o Continuous Professional Education
� Development and Implementation of Standards
and Guidelines
� Quality Management
� Certification, Licensing and Accreditation
� Use of Modern Information and Communication
Technologies to Improve Quality of and Access
to Health Services (E-Health)
Primary Health Care, Sexual and Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS
� Prevention of Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases
� Health Promotion, Hygiene and Nutrition
� Essential Drugs Management and Community Health
� Prevention, Care and Treatment of HIV/AIDS and Sexually
Transmitted Infections
� Family Planning, Safe Motherhood, Child and Adolescent Health
� Social Marketing and Social Franchising
As part of the Provincial Hospital Development Project in
Vietnam, funded by KfW Development Bank, EPOS conducts
in-service training of hospital staff

EPOS HEALTH CONSULTANTS
EUROPE
Austria
Bosnia and
Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Estonia
Georgia
Germany
Hungary
Kosovo
Latvia
REGIONAL EXPERIENCE and
REPRESENTATION
Lithuania
Macedonia
Moldova
Romania
Russ. Federation
Serbia and
Montenegro
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
Switzerland
Ukraine
ASIA
Afghanistan
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
China
Georgia
India
Indonesia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
AFRICA
Angola
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Chad
Egypt
Ethiopia
Gabon
Ghana
EPOS considers it as essential to be locally rooted and focuses
on continuously extending its work through its branch offices
and local representatives. At present, EPOS is represented by
project offices in more than 40 countries. EPOS maintains permanent
branch offices in the following locations:
• India New Delhi
• Kenya Nairobi
• Nigeria Lagos
• Senegal Dakar
• South Africa Pretoria
• China Beijing
• Brazil Brasilia
Mongolia
Nepal
Pakistan
Philippines
Tajikistan
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Yemen
Guinea-Conakry
Ivory Coast
Kenya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mauritania
Mozambique
Morocco
Nigeria
Rwanda
LATIN AMERICA
Brazil
Colombia
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Guatemala
Haiti
Panama
Peru
Senegal
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Sudan
Swaziland
Syria
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
Zimbabwe
EPOS Health Consultants is part of the GOPA Consulting
Group.
Each Group company has its own specialisation, but they
cooperate closely wherever possible. As a result of
integrated management structures and joint databases
as well as close day-to-day relations between the
employees of the Group’s companies, clients have access
to all Group companies, regardless of which office,
company or employee has been contacted originally.
The other members of the GOPA Consulting Group
and their respective areas of expertise are:
EPOS HEALTH CONSULTANTS
GOPA CONSULTING GROUP
GOPA Consultants
• Economic Development
• Human Resources and Social Development
• Infrastructure Development
• Information Technology for Development
• Rural Development and Environment
www.gopa.de
RODECO Consulting
• Water Supply and Sanitation
• Public Utility Management
• Water Resources Management and Soil Conservation
• Environmental Management
www.rodeco.de
GOPA Cartermill
• Management of Assistance Units and Networks
• Information and Communication Management
• Marketing and Dissemination Services
www.gopa-cartermill.com
GOPA IT Consultants GmbH
• Business Consulting
• SAP Consulting
• Software Engineering
• Technical Consulting
www.gopa-itc.de