Country Overview

Within one month of Haiti's devastating earthquake in 2010, SCMS distributed more than 100,000 pounds of medicines and emergency medical supplies from warehouse stock to over 40 health facilities.

In the aftermath, SCMS also supplied close to 50,000 lbs of essential products including oral rehydration salts, antibiotics, lab supplies, water treatment and ringer lactate to support Haiti's response to the cholera epidemic.

In addition to supplying health facilities with emergency provisions, SCMS prevented interruption in the supply chain for antiretrovirals (ARVs) throughout the aftermath of the earthquake. Just seven days after the initial devastating earthquake, SCMS made its first of many replenishments of ARVs for a health facility outside of Port-au-Prince, garnering momentum to carry on with its regular distribution soon after.

SCMS since resumed normal operations throughout the country and despite the devastating setbacks the country has endured, SCMS Haiti continues to thrive. Staff dedication has translated into the uninterrupted supply of essential commodities to sites that provide care to HIV/AIDS infected individuals.

Key Objectives

• Provide HIV/AIDS drugs and other life-saving commodities to over 130 treatment sites.
• Manage the full supply chain cycle, including a coordinated procurement mechanism, preparing regular national quantifications and supply plans, and developing management support for better coordination.
• Manage an efficient central warehouse with trained and capable staff, and implement a warehouse management software system to manage commodities.
• Two ambitious goals of 100% on-time delivery and continuous treatment for patients (no stockouts).
• Assist in creating a sustainable logistic management system

Activities and Impact

Capacity building: As the number of patients being treated increases in Haiti, so does the need to treat opportunistic infections with an increased volume and range of drugs. To meet the challenge of managing this inventory, SCMS has developed a cadre of master trainers to instruct pharmacists, site managers and drug dispensers working at treatment centers on the techniques of logistics and stock management of HIV drugs and lab commodities. These master trainers are currently conducting regular workshops and training 20 to 40 participants quarterly at as many sites. SCMS also conducted a training session on basic logistics adapted to the needs of the blood safety program with the Red Cross. Over time, these capacity-building efforts will contribute to sustained improvements in managing and distributing vital medicines and supplies on the front lines of HIV/AIDS patient care.

Warehousing: SCMS is the main procurement entity for laboratory supplies and ARVs/OI drugs in Haiti, with responsibility for 85 percent of lab, 6 percent of ARVs and 70 percent of OI drugs of the national need for HIV patients. To meet the need for more storage space to accommodate this procurement, SCMS established a 1,400-square-meter warehouse strategically located in Port-au-Prince. The warehouse uses MACS as an automated warehouse management information system (WMIS) tool to leverage hand-held and radio frequency technology. The warehouse also includes a 25-square-meter cold room to maintain a constant temperature for storing cold chain items.

Distribution: SCMS’s distribution network, which started with 12 sites in 2006, now includes more than 150 sites across the country. Some of these sites are located in areas that are extremely difficult to access. SCMS is also providing technical assistance on-site to logistics-related health workers. SCMS participated in finalizing the memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Health and the Clinton Foundation to provide free 2nd-line ARVs to Haiti. SCMS is responsible for storing and distributing those medicines to treatment sites. SCMS also manages and distributes a number of donation programs with national coverage such as the PMTCT Determine tests, the PMTCT drugs, early infant diagnosis and laboratory commodities, and pediatric ARVs and OI drugs. 

Forecasting: Within the last year, SCMS has added a nutrition-treatment component to our work which includes the procurement, storage and distribution of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF). To date, we have procured $131,000 in RUTF from NutriSet and VitaSet.