Embracing and improving collaboration between the Ministry of Health and stakeholders to advance contraceptive security, cost-effective implementation of strategic plans, and systematic monitoring for greater impact was a unique lesson from the Coordinated Procurement and Distribution System mechanism.
Rwanda has made many gains in information communications technology infrastructure over the past few years. While these health information systems have improved in efficiency, there are still gaps to close in the supply chain that impact interoperability, data analytics, end-to-end data visibility, product verification, and traceability.
Contraceptive security is the ability to choose, obtain and use a wide range of high-quality and affordable contraceptive methods. National governments use policy levers to achieve their family planning goals. At the global level, contraceptive security aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals. Detailed, reliable data is needed to identify best practices, assess trends, and target…
Service delivery points in lower- and middle-income countries have frequent stockouts of medicines and contraceptives. One driver of this is a lack of real-time visibility into stock levels of health commodities at facilities. The Drugs Out of Range system provides a user-friendly method of real-time alerting of stock status to those overseeing facility order fulfillment.
In West Africa, a communication gap between global and regional stakeholders was contributing to family planning stock imbalances in the region. But the creation of a coordinating committee changed that.
Teleoperators monitor site-level inventory status through the hotline, closely track stock transfers or return requests, and transmit emergency orders to district and regional warehouses, providing much-needed data for decision-makers.
When COVID-19 hit Tajikistan in early 2020, it soon became clear that supplemental oxygen would be the most essential life-saving treatment for those who fell severely ill. Tajikistan’s health system, like many in lower- and middle-income countries, was unprepared to meet the needs of COVID-19 patients. In India, for example, people formed long queues outside…
Taking managed risks to achieve a desired outcome is a given for successful supply chain work, but risks elevate to a whole other level when working in a country at war. That was the case this year, when Chemonics helped deliver nearly 210,000 bottles of life-saving antiretrovirals (ARVs) into Ukraine, enough to ensure that roughly…
From earthquakes to cyclones to epidemics and a pandemic, the global health supply chain has been rattled far and wide in recent years. Managing it is a daily exercise in creativity and risk management, but balancing these two factors is tricky, and the cost of failure can mean people are unable to access the lifesaving medications…
As a 19-year-old student living in Benin, Kidita* dreamed of finishing her studies before starting a family. She relied on the pill so she wouldn’t get pregnant while at school. But one day, when Kidita went to the health facility in her village to pick up her monthly prescription, she found that it was unavailable.…
On Tuesday, May 17, 2022 we hosted a webinar on the challenges and best practices of managing risks and opportunities around health supply chains.
Led by moderator Simon Cole, GHSC-PSM Distribution Center Logistics Director, the panelists explored data stakeholders in local supply chains as they discussed data ownership, data sharing, and the challenges to obtaining good data in low- and middle-income countries. The session shed light on master data and data harmonization efforts in different country contexts, including efforts…