Uganda Strengthening Supply Chain Systems Activity

Uganda Roadmap launch event

Uganda Celebrates Progress Made in First Year of Roadmap Launch

In January 2022, the Ugandan government set out to establish a modern, country-led health supply chain system with the launch of its 10-year National Health Supply Chain Roadmap. Developed with support from the USAID Uganda Strengthening Supply Chain Systems Activity, the roadmap takes a “one-government” approach to promote capacity strengthening and improve existing processes and resources. In just the first year of the roadmap’s implementation, the country has taken significant steps forward to achieve this vision and improve health outcomes for all Ugandans.

Overview

The USAID-funded Uganda Strengthening Supply Chain Systems (SSCS) Technical Assistance Activity supports Uganda’s efforts to strengthen its health supply chain to increase availability and access to safe, quality-assured medicines and health supplies in public and private nonprofit health facilities. Further accelerating Uganda’s journey to self-reliance, SSCS will strengthen Uganda’s health system to more effectively combat infectious and non-communicable diseases and improve health services and outcomes for all Ugandan families and communities.

Following the successful implementation of the Uganda Health Supply Chain (UHSC) and Securing Ugandans’ Right to Essential Medicines (SURE) projects, SSCS builds upon nearly two decades of partnership with USAID and the Government of Uganda in strengthening the country’s pharmaceutical sector. Under SSCS, MSH will help Uganda improve the performance of key actors throughout the supply chain; advance transparent governance and effective, data-informed policies and regulations; and strengthen local capacity to promote self-reliance in managing a world-class supply chain. SSCS will also provide technical assistance to all US government partners—USAID, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Department of Defense (DOD)—operating at the subnational level and help to improve the capacity of central-level institutions and district-based entities, such as health offices, health facilities, and medical stores.

In implementing SSCS, MSH will partner with and build the capacity of two local Ugandan organizations: the Uganda Healthcare Federation (UHF) and Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE). These collaborators will gradually take on increased technical and management responsibilities as part of a deliberate strategy to promote local ownership and sustainability.

PharmaNet Newsletter—September 2023

This issue of the PharmaNet newsletter highlights the latest key interventions and perspectives on the digitization of Uganda’s health supply chain system. These include interventions and improvements in reporting by hospitals, scaling up utilization of the electronic logistics management information system, improving data visibility in private health facilities, COVID-19 vaccines supply chain digitization, and institutionalizing the 10-Year National Supply Chain Roadmap.

Celebrating six years of strengthening pharmaceutical systems in Uganda

In January 2022, the Government of Uganda launched the 10-Year National Health Supply Chain Roadmap. The roadmap aims to ensure the sustainability of development outcomes invested in the health sector over time by development partners. This is supported through targeted improvements towards sustained availability of essential medicines and health supplies to all Ugandans wherever and whenever needed.
To strengthen the country’s health supply chain and improve access to medicines and health commodities, Uganda’s Ministry of Health, in partnership with the USAID Uganda Strengthening Supply Chain Systems Activity and partners, are embarking on digitizing and integrating the entire medicines supply chain to improve end-to-end data visibility.
Despite making great progress, health facilities in Uganda continue to face stock-outs of essential medicines, limiting people’s ability to access quality health services that can save their lives and improve their well-being. To bridge existing gaps in the health supply chain, Uganda’s Ministry of Health with support from the MSH-led, USAID Uganda Strengthening Supply Chain Systems (SSCS) Activity and partners, initiated the Health Supply Chain Solutions Challenge. The Challenge sought proposals for bold ideas for novel, sustainable solutions that improve timely access to and availability of quality essential medicines and health supplies in the country. Winners of the challenge will receive one year of technical and financial support of up to $50,000 USD to pilot and implement their solutions under the newly launched Supply Chain Innovation Lab.
Eric Lugada

Chief of Party

Project Contact

Dr. Eric Stephen Lugada, a medical epidemiologist and senior public health physician with 26 years of experience managing national public health programs, is the Chief of Party for the MSH-led USAID/Strengthening Supply Chain Systems (SSCS) Activity in Uganda. Prior to joining us, he was the Program Director for the University Research Council (URC)-Uganda Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program, Director for the URC–USAID ASSIST project in Uganda, and Country Director, Axios Foundation, Inc. for Sudan and Nigeria.

Dr. Lugada is an HIV and AIDS and TB subject matter expert who has directed the implementation of transformational programs that advance health system strengthening and effective and efficient health care delivery across Sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania. He has extensive experience in restructuring medical supply chain operations to increase citizens’ access to quality medicines and health care. Dr. Lugada is also an external examiner for Post Graduate Programs at the Makerere University, School of Public Health.

He holds a Ph.D in Medical Epidemiology from the University of Bergen, Norway, and a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree (M.B.Ch.B) from Makerere University.

Donors & Partners

Donors

The United States Agency for International Development

Partners

Uganda Healthcare Federation 

Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment