Page 19 - Logistics News - December 2021

S UP P LY CH AIN

He says that public health logisticians have a He offered advice and guidance on designing a new,
critical but often undervalued role in providing analytically based, automated replenishment planning
life-saving health services. “Especially in developing process.
countries, supply chain management is often not
recognised as a profession that requires specialised The roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine in South
training. IAPHL’s vision is a world where strong and Africa was the topic of an IAPHL webinar presented
well-run supply chains reach all people with life- by Professor Norman Faull, Emeritus Professor of
saving health products.” Operations Management at the Graduate School of
Business, UCT and Founder/Chairman of the Lean
Since its launch in December 2020, the IAPHL’s Institute Africa. The Lean Institute Africa has been
South African Chapter has hosted numerous free instrumental in observing and advising several
networking and professional development events vaccination sites since the beginning of the pilot phase
geared towards connecting, empowering and upskilling of the vaccine roll-out. Faull discussed the challenges,
professionals working in the country’s public health solutions and successes that have been experienced first-
supply chains. hand.

Lessons from Ethiopia were shared in an Annette Naude, DSV’s General Manager for
informative IAPHL webinar presented by Capital Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare (Air & Sea), South
Berhanu, Inventory Management and Distribution Africa looked at innovations for health care supply
Officer at the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply chains for the future in a webinar that she presented for
Agency. The agency has been working to optimise IAPHL’s South African Chapter. She shared strategies
the supply chain needed to ensure equitable, developed by cold chain supply network leader DSV to
affordable access to anti-cancer medicines for navigate the COVID-19 crisis, not only in South Africa,
all Ethiopians. Berhanu shared his learnings and but also in Africa, including multi-model strategies
insights on challenges that include high expiry and strategic partnerships. Creative ways had to be
and wastage, frequent stockouts, data visibility found to ensure that amid the turmoil of the pandemic,
issues, product delivery delays, intermittent emergency and life-saving cold chain pharmaceuticals
reports, facility complaints and inadequate and other health care commodities could still get to
communication. where they were needed, when they were needed, she
stated.
Life-threatening medicine stockouts were in
the spotlight in a case study presented by David In addition to ensuring that everyone working
Crewe-Brown, General Manager at Vitalliance, in South Africa’s public health supply chains has
experts in pharmaceutical and humanitarian supply access to the requisite resources, training and skills,
chains. Crewe-Brown noted that appropriate levels one of the top priorities of the South African IAPHL
of medicine availability are necessary to meet Chapter is encouraging more young people and
patient needs, but the challenge is that the current graduates to pursue careers in public health care
processes require the already overburdened health supply chains. To this end, an IAPHL and SAPICS
care practitioners to manage the medicine storeroom, membership package is being offered at no cost to
count the stock levels, calculate the replenishment 50 young supply chain professionals. Applicants must
orders and issue stock to the consulting rooms when be working in or wish to work in the management
required. Many of these process steps fail, resulting of public health supply chains and humanitarian L O GI S T I CS NEWS
in stock shortages. The solution is to automate the logistics and must be aged 25 or younger. For more
replenishment planning of medicines in the South information or to apply, email Elaine Stewart at
African public health supply chain, he told attendees. SAPICS, elaine@sapics.org.za. •

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