A selection of IAPHL members have been sponsored to attend the 6th Global Health Supply Chain Summit (GHSCS), from November 18th-20th, 2013 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The GHSCS will focus on innovations in global health supply chains and explore emerging trends in information acquisition and sharing, coordination across stakeholders to... Read more
Exploring the role of “multiplicity” in public health supply chains
Throughout September, IAPHL members discussed the role of multiplicity in public health supply chains, and shared experiences that they have had with multiplicity in their own countries. The discussion was facilitated by Alan Bornbusch (USAID) and James Bates (JSI), who recently published a paper about multiplicity in Global Health: Science... Read more
IAPHL reaches 2,000 members!
We are thrilled to celebrate our 2000 member milestone! With your help, we have built a strong virtual community of supply chain professionals, spanning 107 countries worldwide. Membership has more than DOUBLED in the past 2 years and continues to grow at an impressive rate. A strong, diverse and active... Read more
Bringing innovation to immunization supply systems in Vietnam
With the expansion of electrical, telecommunication, and transportation networks in Vietnam, the country is well poised to modernize its immunization supply system.... Read more
An integrated approach to health information systems in Guatemala
In addition to piloting a new computerized health system for the country, project Optimize will work with Guatemala to assess the conditions necessary to the scale-up of this intervention to enhance the country’s immunization supply system in the long run.... Read more
When Vaccines Can’t Help: How supply chain failures undermine vaccine advancements – and what’s being done about it
Project Optimize is a collaboration between the WHO and PATH focused on putting technological and scientific advances to work to create a vaccine supply chain that is flexible and robust enough to handle an increasingly large and costly portfolio of vaccines.... Read more
Not too hot, not too cold: Protecting lifesaving vaccine from freezing or heat damage
How does a mother in rural Indonesia get the vaccines she and her newborn need when the nearest health center is a boat ride away?... Read more
Toward a common definition of “public health supply chain”
Members shared their experiences and perspectives on as they collectively discussed an accurate and all-encompassing definition of a “public health supply chain.” This discussion was moderated by Kossivi Agbelenko Afanvi (Ministry of Health, Togo). Original message: Some initial attempts were made to define supply chain in the health care system.... Read more
Impact of Treatment Guideline Changes on Global Health Supply Chains
Members discussed the implications of treatment guideline changes on commodities within the supply chain. Economic losses commonly occur when new treatment guidelines state that certain commodities are no longer recommended for use. How do we know when changing guidelines will be “worth it”? This discussion was facilitated by Gilbert Rwangarinda... Read more
Temperature Control as a Procurement and Supply Management Bottleneck of Essential Drugs
Members discussed the importance of temperature control when transporting essential medicines and suggested mechanisms to avoid commodity exposure to extreme heat and cold. Original question: “PSM of health commodities has been the ‘Achilles heel’ in the public sector drug supply chain in developing countries and around the globe due to:... Read more