Malawi

Working closely with the government of Malawi, the USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project supports the procurement, secured storage, and monthly distribution of medicines and commodities to the country’s more than 650 public health facilities.

The project also provides technical assistance to the Ministry of Health to coordinate the many existing health supply chains and in building Ministry of Health capacity for ensuring availability and accountability of health commodities across the country.

To support the government’s strategy to reintegrate the supply chain, GHSC-PSM also improves systems for accountability, data visibility, and performance of the national pharmaceutical supply chain system. The goal is to create new opportunities that address long-standing concerns about accountability for commodity security and to improve mechanisms to ensure that stakeholders have real-time access to the quality information that supports data-driven decision-making.

• antiretrovirals (ARVs)
• artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs)
• copper-containing intrauterine devices (IUDs)
• long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs)
• male condoms
• oral contraceptives

Note: HIV rapid test kits (RTKs) are also procured through the GHSC-Rapid Test Kits project.

Key activities in Malawi include:

• Collaborate with Ministry of Health leadership to develop and implement improved pharmaceutical supply chain management strategies
• Support the Ministry of Health in conducting more deliberate medicine audits, routinely review data for accountability, build capacity within the Drug Theft Investigation Unit, document instances of theft, and implement appropriate interventions to prevent future instances of theft
• Partner with the Ministry of Health to implement a new logistics management information system platform (OpenLMIS Version 3.0) to enable better-informed decision-making in quantification, forecasting, supply planning, procurement, and inventory management
• Conduct an annual stock count for reproductive health and malaria commodities
• Procure priority malaria and reproductive health commodities according to the national quantification and supply plan

In collaborating with USAID, GHSC-PSM in Malawi facilitates improvements to the Central Medical Stores Trust through participating in a strategic steering committee; invests in the country’s pharmacy assistant base through collaboration with the Malawi College of Health Sciences; and improves data transparency and quality from the health facility to central level through biannual assessments in coordination with the Ministry of Health.