In logistics, it’s one thing to secure an order and another to safely have it dispatched, in right specifications, to satisfaction of the intended client and the stakeholders too need to be informed of the timeline for processes involved and most especially with medical logistics in public health facilities.
At National Medical Stores (NMS) this has since become a promise by the agency to ensure every stage of deliveries to government health facilities is made known to all stakeholders and the suppliess are delivered on time.
“It is the social contract that we have with our clients, a constant reminder for us to stick to what we promise to deliver,” NMS General Manager, Mr. Moses Kamabare explains.
With a mandate to procure, store and distribute medicines and medical supplies for public health facilities across the country, even those in places not easy to reach, it has also become the key goal for NMS to deliver medicines and medical supplies as and when ordered by the clients.
To establish a sustained supply chain, the agency has since embarked on engaging stakeholders at all levels in a bid to ensure the processes are appreciated by end users, with transparency and efficiently managed.
“The focus for NMS is to educate target stakeholders, mostly at the grassroots to understand better how our supply system works through regular sharing of the delivery schedule,” says Paul Okware, the Chief Stores and Operations Officer.
In a spate of barely five years, the practice of regularly sharing delivery schedules has continued to gain recognition at the grassroots, among the health facilities dealt with and now an effective accountability tool on the part of NMS to her stakeholders and government.
“The delivery schedule has helped at local government level to monitor well what has been delivered (from NMS), in what quantity and when. We can now closely evaluate the stock in and out of drugs,” Ngora District LC5 Chairperson, Mr. Michael Odongo said.
Delivery schedules have also helped NMS in generating evidence to inform innovations for effective last mile delivery, a distribution mechanism being undertaken to curb drug theft and ensure real time capturing of details about the supplies and last end user.
Though yet to be appreciated by a cross section of stakeholders, the delivery schedules are largely intended to achieve delivery of medicines and medical supplies by stated delivery deadlines and amounts.
Underlying motivation for the delivery schedules is further meant to promote and provide compassionate, most attainable, high quality and cost-effective logistical services to the last end user, mostly government founded and aided health facilities.
“It’s the responsibility of every stakeholder to ensure they monitor delivery of drugs to the respective health facilities through the delivery schedules often made public in the various media platforms,” adds Mr. Okware.
Regularly shared on social media and other online channels, delivery schedules largely contain particulars of the dispatches, dates of delivery and other essential details.
This is meant to provide forehand information that stakeholders can use in the process of monitoring the delivery processes and hold duty bearers accountable in event of any breaches.