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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Roadmap finalised to address gaps in public health and supply chain systems

By our correspondents
September 23, 2017

Islamabad The first-ever province-specific Public Health Forecasting and Supply Chain Strategy was handed over Friday to departments of health and population welfare of the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Additionally, updated Essential Medicine Lists (EML) were also handed over to governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan.

The Supply Chain Strategy, which has been finalized with the assistance of USAID and the Global Health Supply Chain Programme-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project, lays down a five-year roadmap whereby gaps in current public health supply chain systems and financing will be incrementally addressed. Supply chain reforms in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will require an estimated Rs. 3.4 billion to transform the entire landscape of public health by ensuring product availability at last mile.

The provincial governments have not only revised their Essential Medicine List in line with the World Health Organization (WHO) latest 2017 global standards but also prioritized a very essential indigenous list of medicines pertaining to preventative medicine. USAID Director Health and Vice President, GHSC-PSM Project handed over these to provincial policy makers of the three provinces. This would serve as a tool for provincial policy makers, managers and service providers to ensure adequate procurement planning at district level, ensuring availability and use and financing to decrease the ailing disease burden at primary and secondary healthcare levels.

Marking the occasion, a ceremony was held in Islamabad with the participation of USAID Director Health Office for Pakistan Dr. Sangita Patel, Fazal Nabi Khan, Secretary, Population Welfare Department, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Asmatullah Kakar, Secretary Health, Government of Balochistan, Director Generals Health Services, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan, Doris Youngs, Senior Vice President, Chemonics International, and Dr. Muhammad Tariq, Country Director, GHSC-PSM.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Muhammad Tariq termed the project’s technical assistance to provincial governments as ‘historic’ towards strengthening public health supply chains and emphasized the need of increased public financing. He thanked USAID Pakistan and the provincial governments for proactively pursuing adoption of technology and supply chain best practices for improved health outcomes in the provinces.

The secretaries of health and population welfare departments thanked USAID for initiating new government-to-government programming in the health sector and focusing on strategic investments that will help improve public health policy, services, financing, and monitoring.