Africa-Press – Uganda. The National Medical Stores (NMS) has called upon all government health facilities to submit their medicine requests within the set deadlines according to the Store’s delivery schedule to enhance the availability of medicines in the country.
“Currently, we serve over 3,000 health facilities across the country and while a great number of them submit their requests on time, we still face challenges in some places where requests are submitted outside the set submission deadlines and this, therefore, affects the availability of medicines in these particular places,” said NMS Public Relations Officer, Mr James Odong.
Mr Odong appreciated the government for the continued support in enabling the store to execute its mandate and urged all government health facility leaders to submit timely requests for deliveries to avoid inconveniences.
“The government has been very supportive in ensuring that we have a conducive environment for logistics and supply which enables us to operate efficiently,” he said.
He further noted that the deliveries are made as part of the Store’s predetermined bi-monthly delivery schedule but considerations are made for emergency requests.
“NMS delivers drugs to various government health facilities across the country based on a pre-determined schedule every two months which translates into six times every year. Of course, there are emergency deliveries but that does not happen regularly,” he emphasized.
The NMS delivered drugs, vaccines, soaps, and fluids between February 1-9 2021 to; Mulago National Burns Unit, Lira Hospital, Gulu Hospital, Kitagata Hospital, Katakwi District/Katakwi General Hospital, Moroto Hospital, Naguru Hospital, Mbarara University Hospital, and Kabale Regional Referral Hospital among others.
Other areas that received drugs during this aforementioned period are; Kampala National Burns Unit, Kaabong District/Hospital, Kamuli District, Moroto District, Napak District, Katakwi District/Katakwi General Hospital, Moroto Regional Hospital, Kayunga Hospital, Abim Hospital, Nakapiripit District, Nabilatuk District and Manafwa District.
NMS’ mandate is to procure, warehouse, and distribute essential medicines and medical supplies, primarily to government health facilities.
Medicine availability across the country currently stands at 85 per cent with a target of reaching 90 per cent within the next 1-2 years.
NMS recently hired clerks to follow up on drugs from the districts up to the rural health facilities under what is known as the last mile delivery model.
The institution is set to open a state-of-the-art pharmaceuticals warehouse in Kajjansi off Entebbe road to increase bulk store capacity area from the current 8,000 pallet locations in the existing premises, to a minimum of 30,000 pallet locations.
The facility will also increase cold chain capacity to the maximum net storage volume of 2,500m3 purpose-built as a Drive-in cold room (DICR).
“One of our main objectives is to consolidate, centralize and operate NMS services and infrastructure in one modern, purpose-built and efficient building, with a minimum sixty-year lifespan, on the specified site,” said Mr Moses Kamabare, General Manager NMS.
In the year 2017/2018, NMS achieved higher than the target score of 90 per cent stock availability for Essential Medicines and 86 percent for Tracer items against a target of 75 percent set by the Ministry of Health.
Daily Monitor understands that in the financial year 2018/19, NMS attained 92 per cent stock availability for 41 Tracer Medicines at Central level against a target of 80 per cent from Ministry of Health.
