Country Highlights
Among SCMS program countries, Guyana has a relatively low rate of HIV/AIDS prevalence; however HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among citizens between the ages of 25 and 44. As a result, the Government of Guyana has placed a high emphasis on ensuring that those in need of HIV/AIDS treatment receive appropriate care and medicine in a timely manner. SCMS’s program is the first of its kind in Guyana, and key supply chain challenges involve building knowledge and experience in central logistics functions at central, regional, and facility levels.
Guyana’s supply chain is largely centralized and nationalized, with the Ministry of Health’s Materials Management Unit (MMU) managing the procurement and distribution of all public sector and donated health commodities. Efforts to build the capacity of the MMU and integrate its systems at all levels are key to completely consolidating the HIV/AIDS supply chains.
In this context, SCMS has identified information sharing, quantification, and capacity building as key areas of supply chain improvement in Guyana.
Specific objectives for the country include:
- Strengthening transparency and coordination among stakeholders
- Creating an enabling environment for management
- Providing innovative warehouse management solutions, including support to the Materials Management Unit (MMU) to develop its performance management and evaluation as well as procurement capacity
- Improving inventory and control systems and logistics management information systems
- Helping to develop capacity in rolling forecasts and supply plans
Value of commodities delivered as of December 2007: Over $767,000
Progress to date:
To build local capacity in warehousing, the Ministry of Health, with SCMS support, inaugurated a new model storage facility for HIV/AIDS medicines and supplies in November 2007 providing a secure and temperature-controlled environment for storage of antiretroviral drugs and other commodities used in HIV/AIDS testing, care and treatment. The warehouse, the management of which is being progressively transferred to the Materials Management Unit, is crucial to successfully expanding HIV/AIDS care and treatment throughout the country.
On November 5, Guyana officially launched and handed over a Warehouse Management System (WMS), a tool developed by MACS Software –a United Kingdom-based company– that incorporates hand-held and radio frequency technology into the newly organized Ministry of Health warehouse. Begun in June 2007, the WMS is the result of a collaborative effort among SCMS/Guyana, the Materials Management Unit (MMU) of the Ministry of Health, SCMS MMU Annex Operations personnel and MACS Software. Prior to the WMS, the MMU utilized manual, Excel-based systems that were prone to inaccuracy and provided limited visibility into inventory levels and product shelf life, resulting in inefficiencies and product expiration. The WMS has already been greatly facilitating inventory management, which will enable more accurate supply plans and forecasts. According to the Ministry of Health, complaints of shortages of drugs and other supplies have already been reduced significantly.
Forecasting future needs helps reduce costs and avoid stockouts of medicines and supplies. To this end, in July 2007 SCMS facilitated a nationwide forecast of ARV and essential medicines and testing kits needed over the coming year with organizations involved in HIV/AIDS treatment. Meanwhile, technical personnel from the Ministry of Health and partner organizations were trained on state-of-the-art methods of quantifying and forecasting needs for medicines and other supplies. These stakeholders regularly update the forecast, with support from SCMS, to ensure supply plans remain accurate.
