MedSource Welcomes Vinod Guptan as New Chief Executive Officer

Nairobi, Kenya—August 31, 2020—MedSource, a company dedicated to improving the accessibility and availability of affordable, quality medicines and related supplies for the people of Kenya, announced today the appointment of Vinod Guptan as its new CEO.

Mr. Guptan joins MedSource with more than 27 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having led operations, sales, marketing, planning and distribution for companies across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and South and Southeast Asia.

In his most recent role as General Manager-Sales & Marketing of Surgipharm, one of Kenya’s primary local distributors of Pharmaceutical, Surgical, Medical Equipment & OTC range of products, he managed a fairly large team of personnel to ensure product introduction, market penetration, CRM, growth and profitability for the organization. 

Mr. Guptan has been involved in a number of successful start-ups throughout his career. He helped re-launch Abacus Pharma from zero in Kenya to strengthening its East Africa’s production capability of I. V. Fluid and branded generic products in the country and during his leadership as the Director in Kenya, the company expanded its market base.

“I am delighted to join MedSource and continue to strengthen and expand the critical work of this innovative company to make quality medicines more accessible and affordable to everyone who needs them,” said Mr. Guptan.

Launched in 2017, MedSource is a private commercial group purchasing organization (GPO) owned by American nonprofit Management Sciences for Health (MSH). The first organization of its kind in Kenya, MedSource leverages the combined purchasing power of its members—pharmacies, hospitals, clinical laboratories, and other health care providers—to negotiate favorable contract pricing from suppliers. It offers members access to a broad catalog of quality products from prequalified distributors and manufacturers and specialized training in pharmacy management, business management, and other related areas. MedSource has plans to expand into other countries in Africa.

“I am thrilled to welcome Mr. Guptan to MedSource,” said Marian W. Wentworth, MSH’s President and CEO and MedSource’s Chair. “Mr. Guptan’s strong relationships with the business and health care communities, together with an extensive career focused on pharmaceutical distribution, will complement our dynamic team. I am confident that under his guidance MedSource will continue to create private sector opportunities to help deliver quality health services and products to more people.”

Mr. Guptan is Chairman of the Supply Chain Committee for the Kenyan Health Federation, the umbrella health sector representative body dedicated to engaging the government and all relevant stakeholders toward achieving quality health care through enabling policies that maximize the contributions of the private sector. He has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Studies and a Bachelor of Science from Parle College, University of Mumbai, India. He is fluent in English, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Bengali, Kiswahili, Konkani, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

About MedSource

MedSource is a for-profit group purchasing organization aimed at improving accessibility and availability of affordable, quality medications, and lab and health supplies. These services benefit both healthcare providers and the population at large, while strengthening the capacity of its members to improve the management of their businesses. MedSource is a wholly owned subsidiary of Management Sciences for Health. For further information, visit https://medsource-group.com/.

About MSH

Management Sciences for Health is a global health nonprofit. We make foundational changes to health systems to protect people from disease and improve their health. We do not replace or run parallel systems in a country—we collaborate with our partners, from Ministries of Health to civil society and the local private sector, to strengthen and complement existing health systems. For more information, visit www.msh.org.