Since 2016, the USAID GHSC-PSM project in Zambia has been working closely with the Ministry of Health, Medical Stores Limited, and other partners to improve availability and access to lifesaving health commodities through procurement, distribution, and supply chain technical assistance. GHSC-PSM and Medical Stores Limited (MSL)’s implementation of an innovative health commodity distribution system through a…
On October 7 and 8, Chemonics hosted a two-part series on tracking health commodities down to the last mile in Nigeria. In 2019, the USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project developed and deployed a cloud-based Commodity Order Management System (COMS) that provides end-to-end visibility into several commodity lines. COMS enables…
A study was conducted using a descriptive method to assess 3PL performance in a system implemented by the USAID Global Health Supply Chain-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project in Nigeria. Specimen quantities transported by the 3PLs providers over six months were compared to the quantities transported in the period prior to implementation. Using the 3PLs…
The majority of MNCH products and services are provided through the public sector, and as a result, the Government of Zambia is the primary client for wholesalers that supply MNCH commodities. Wholesaler representatives noted challenges in their macro-operating environment, including large and often delayed government payments. When sourcing MNCH products, wholesalers often noted quality as…
The global demand for male condoms and voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) kits as preventative measures for contracting HIV/AIDS has been steadily increasing. As demand soars, lead times to manufacture and deliver commodities from a limited number of pre-qualified vendors have also been on the rise. With several social marketing campaigns of male condoms and…
In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), national governments procure and distribute the majority of lifesaving MNCH commodities and typically, domestic wholesalers’ source, import and supply these critical products. Unlike products such as antiretrovirals and antimalarials, MNCH commodities have not received the same level of quality assurance scrutiny and several post marketing surveillance studies have…
On March 14, 2019, Cyclone Idai made landfall near the port city of Beira, Mozambique. The severe storm flooded roads and highways, destroyed bridges, and caused landslides and mudslides, in addition to significant structural damage to warehouses and buildings managed by the country’s Central Medical Store (Central de Medicamentos e Artigos Médicos, or CMAM), with…
This presentation walks through the framework of emergency supply chain (ESC) preparedness and response, as well as best practices and the Emergency Supply Chain Playbook. The major areas of emergency supply chain preparedness and response include people and processes, commodity planning, logistics and transport, and transition and other special considerations. These areas are outlined and…
Reducing morbidity and mortality caused by malaria remains a major challenge for the Cameroon Ministry of Public Health. In Cameroon, health data is frequently incomplete or arrives at the district level very late. Additionally, there are also difficulties with storage, inventory, and transportation from regional to health facility levels. GHSC-PSM supported the country’s National Malaria…
This document provides an overview of activity-based costing, a model which assigns indirect costs combined with direct costs to assess the true cost of receiving, storing, and transporting products in specific categories. ABC is the foundation to strong KPIs, efficient warehouse management, and understanding an operation’s true cost. Using ABC allows for a distribution center…