In the past 3 years , the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical importance of resilient and agile supply chains in healthcare. According to a survey by the Healthcare Supply Chain Association, 95% of hospitals experienced supply chain disruptions during the pandemic, with 67% reporting shortages of critical items such as personal protective equipment (PPE) (HSCA, 2021). This underscores the urgent need for governments and healthcare organizations to invest in improving their supply chain processes to ensure continuity of care and preparedness for future crises.
As we enter 2023, the availability of health commodities remains a fundamental issue for the success of public health programs in LMICs. At Afya Intelligence, we are always seeking best practices from business and management fields that can be applied to health supply chains. But what does an ideal supply chain look like for LMICs? To answer this question, we need to put the client at the center and design supply chains around them, in what has recently been coined as patient-centric supply chains. This means compromising on any aspect that does not serve the client better will not take us closer to achieving healthcare system objectives.
“Supply chain excellence is a promise for perfect healthcare experiences for everyone through consistent availability of affordable, high-quality healthcare products and services for all."
Management by exception is a style of business management that focuses on identifying and handling cases that deviate from the norm, recommended as best practice by the project management method. To succeed, data should be used to measure progress towards the achievement of a supply chain performance goal. This principle is well-supported by continuous quality improvement principles and has been widely applied in private sector supply chain improvement strategies. Our goal is to ensure that data is easily accessible to everyone who needs it to support planning and service delivery, promoting better supply chain performance.
“We must bring into focus the promising solutions that are already helping healthcare supply chain stakeholders achieve supply chain excellence.”
To improve the availability of health commodities and reimagine supply chain excellence, we need to leverage innovative solutions such as artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics. AI-powered solutions can help supply chain managers identify potential supply chain disruptions before they happen, allowing them to take proactive measures to ensure the continuous availability of essential medicines and health commodities. With predictive analytics, we can analyze supply chain data and identify patterns, trends, and potential risks to the supply chain. This information can be used to inform supply chain planning and decision-making, ensuring the consistent availability of healthcare products and services.
Finally, we must aim to digitize pharma logistics to streamline operations, reduce errors, and increase transparency."
In addition to leveraging AI and predictive analytics, digitizing pharma logistics is another critical step towards achieving supply chain excellence. Digitization can help streamline supply chain operations, reduce manual errors, and increase transparency, ultimately improving supply chain performance. By digitizing the supply chain, we can ensure real-time tracking of health commodities, reducing the risk of stockouts and ensuring that essential medicines and supplies are available when and where they are needed.
At Afya Intelligence, we are committed to working with healthcare supply chain stakeholders to reimagine supply chain excellence and achieve our shared vision of perfect healthcare experiences for everyone. We believe that by leveraging innovative solutions and working together, we can create sustainable and resilient supply chains that ensure the availability of essential medicines and health commodities to all who need them. Follow and reach out to us at info@afyaintelligence.co.tz to learn more about how we can work together to reimagine supply chain excellence.
As we continue to reimagine supply chain excellence in 2023, we must keep in mind that the availability of health commodities is vital for public health programs. Patient-centric supply chains, management by exception, and the Pareto Principle are all essential tools in achieving consistent availability of healthcare products and services. At Afya Intelligence, we are committed to providing solutions and support to help LMICs achieve this goal. Reach out to us at info@afyaintelligence.co.tz to learn more about our expertise in this area.
