Health logistics in Tanzania: A decade of supply chain accomplishments

Over the last decade, investments made by the Government of Tanzania (GOT) through the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly, and Children (MOHCDGEC), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and other donors and partners toward strengthening the public health supply chains in Tanzania has had a positive impact on the health and well-being of Tanzanians. Funded by USAID, PEPFAR, and PMI, both the USAID | DELIVER PROJECT and Supply Chain Management System (SCMS), working in concert with the MOHCDGEC, have made significant contributions in making supply chains more effective and efficient. These accomplishments demonstrate the impact of collaboration and the efforts put forth by the MOHCDGEC to achieve

these goals. Some of the highlights for strengthening public health supply chains include: Systems Strengthening End-Use Verification data, an instrumental performance management tool for system monitoring, shows stockout rates for artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) on the day of the visit have decreased from 24 percent in 2012 to 3 percent in December 2015. Management Information System (MIS) Implementation of electronic logistics management information system (eLMIS), a web based application for managing logistics data created a sustainable MIS solution. Reporting rates from January – March 2016 were 93 percent for the Integrated Logistics System (ILS) and 95 and 92

percent for the antiretroviral (ARV) and Lab logistics systems, respectively. Quality Assurance Facilitated greater use of and sensitization to the pharmacovigilance system, resulting in a 76 percent improvement in adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting rate. The renovated lab at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences has enhanced capacity building in research and development for Tanzania and the broader East Africa region. Warehousing and Distribution

Optimal design of the Warehouse-in-a-Box (WiB) has nearly tripled the total number of pallet positions at Medical Stores Department (MSD). Optimized distribution routes improved access to life saving health commodities and led to a 10 percent reduction in distribution costs.