Keywords: 5S, Health Service

In medical facilities in Africa, a productive working environment is not maintained, hospital resources are not sufficiently used, and safe, highquality medical care is often not provided to patients. JICA introduced a Japanese-style management method using the 5S-KAIZEN-TQM methods, implemented 5S activities (sort, set, shine, standardize, and sustain) at health care facilities, and improved the work environment. Through this, hospital management was improved.

The Asia-Africa Knowledge Co-Creation Program “Clean Hospital” was launched in 2007 to apply the 5S-KAIZEN-TQM model at pilot hospitals in various African countries, and to reflect this approach on government policies and systems.

As an organization entrusted with training that serves as a follow-up to this program, we hosted two groups of trainees from Africa: one from English-speaking countries and one from French-speaking countries. The training was conducted over a period of one week (the English-speaking group participated in a supplementary training course in Tanzania for one week), with trainees deepening their understanding of the studies through lectures and exercises at JICA Tokyo, as well as by touring hospitals that have applied the 5S approach. This interactive program allowed the trainees to present experience from their own countries and learn about the situation in other regions. With this, they were able to see the issues and strengths of their countries. Upon completion of the training course, an information-sharing network was formed through the initiative of the trainees.