Africa-Press – Uganda. The National Medical Stores (NMS) on Friday hosted the State House Health Monitoring Unit (HMU) led by Executive Director Dr Warren Namara, in a strategic meeting aimed at bolstering accountability and efficiency in the distribution of medicines nationwide.
The engagement, held at NMS’ ultra-modern warehouse in Kajjansi, was part of ongoing stakeholder partnership efforts to enhance health service delivery in Uganda.
Dr Namara lauded NMS for its “vital contribution” to ensuring that medicines and medical supplies reach health facilities across the country, stressing the need for transparency and prompt delivery.
“At NMS, we are committed to ensuring that every medicine procured and stored reaches the intended patient. Collaborations like this with the Health Monitoring Unit strengthen accountability and protect the integrity of our health supply chain,” NMS General Manager Moses Kamabare said.
Dr Namara echoed the sentiment, noting that joint action was essential to combat the persistent challenge of pilferage in public health facilities.
“By working together, we can curb pilferage, promote transparency, and ensure life-saving medicines are always available where they are needed most,” he said.
The National Medical Stores is a government agency mandated to procure, store, and distribute medicines and other medical supplies to public health facilities in Uganda.
Established under the National Medical Stores Act of 1993, it operates under the Ministry of Health but as an autonomous entity, allowing it to manage the country’s health commodities supply chain independently.
Its core responsibilities include forecasting needs, bulk purchasing to reduce costs, ensuring safe storage, and timely distribution to over 7,000 public and accredited health facilities.
The agency has in recent months been at the centre of government efforts to modernise the health supply chain.
Earlier this year, NMS completed the expansion of its Kajjansi warehouse, which now serves as the primary national hub for medical supplies, with advanced cold storage facilities for vaccines and temperature-sensitive medicines.
NMS has also rolled out a digital stock-tracking system aimed at reducing loss and improving delivery timelines.
However, challenges remain, including reports of medicine theft and delays in last-mile delivery — issues that the new partnership with the HMU seeks to address.
Friday’s meeting is expected to pave the way for joint inspections, tighter controls, and improved reporting mechanisms between the two entities, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that Ugandans receive the medicines they need, when they need them.
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