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From Sola Ojo, Abuja
Poor storage systems and the expiry of essential medicines which accounted for an estimated $6 billion loss annually across the world is worrisome, Edmund Dambo, the State Programme Lead, Capacity 4 Sustainable Development (C4SD), has said.
C4SD is currently implementing the Gates Foundation-funded Strengthening Integrated Last Mile Delivery and Supply Visibility (SiLMD & SV) Project in Kaduna State.
This development has continued to threaten access to basic healthcare and undermine inclusive service delivery globally, although there is no specific data on the amount Nigeria contributes to this waste yearly.
Dambo stated this in a presentation titled, “Health Supply Chain Management,” during a one-day capacity building workshop on Strengthening Integrated Last Mile Delivery and Supply Visibility (SILMD & SV) Project organised in collaboration with the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Kaduna State Council.
He further revealed that one in three health facilities experiences stock-outs of essential medicines at least once every month due to weaknesses in healthcare supply chains, poor inventory management and fragmented delivery systems.
According to him, the situation contributed to higher incidence of preventable deaths, treatment failures, wastage of resources and declining public confidence in health facilities.
He explained that healthcare supply chain management involves the coordination of sourcing, procurement, warehousing and delivery of health commodities from manufacturers to patients, stressing that the goal is to ensure the right products are available in the right quantity, at the right place and at the right time.
To him, the project was introduced to address these challenges in Kaduna State through improved warehousing and inventory management, efficient last-mile delivery systems and enhanced supply visibility.
He noted that inadequate data management and inconsistent reporting have created disconnects between data and decision-making, affecting the availability of medicines and health outcomes in communities.
On his part, the Program Evidence Lead of C4SD, Nasir Muhammad, disclosed that family planning commodities are currently available free of charge in public health facilities across all the 23 local government areas of Kaduna State.
He said the organisation was working with the state government to increase awareness on the availability of the commodities, counter myths and misconceptions surrounding family planning methods and provide platforms where residents can obtain accurate information on reproductive health issues.
Muhammad added that the project also sought to amplify successes recorded in Kaduna State as part of efforts to advocate for similar interventions in other states.
In his goodwill message, Chairman of the Kaduna State Council of the NUJ, AbdulGafar Alabelewe, said the media remain critical in promoting accountability and creating public awareness around developmental initiatives, especially in the health sector.
He commended C4SD and the Correspondents’ Chapel for organising the workshop, describing it as timely and important in strengthening journalists’ understanding of healthcare delivery systems.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Maryam Ahmadu-Suka, said the workshop would equip journalists with the knowledge required for accurate and responsible reporting of health interventions and development issues in Kaduna State.
