LILONGWE –Today, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Ministry of Health have launched a multi-year project to strengthen the country’s public health supply chain and prepare for future health emergencies in Malawi.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains in Malawi and made it difficult for medical commodities to reach the people that needed them. The project is funded by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited as part of a five-year partnership with WFP for health systems supply chain strengthening.
“This partnership will helpimprove the availability of medicinesandhealthcommoditiesin Malawi and prepare for future health emergencies,” says WFP Country Director and Representative in Malawi, Paul Turnbull. “Ultimately this will improve the quality of life of vulnerable people and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.”
WFP will be supporting the Ministry of Health and the Central Medical Stores Trust with long-term capacity strengthening in core areas of supply chain management suchas supply chain analytics, and emergency preparedness.
‘’The Government of Malawi is currently laying out the Master Supply Chain Transformation plan (2021-2026) to strengthen supply chain operations and to make the public health sector more resilient. We look forward to collaborating with WFP and Takeda so that all Malawians can get access to medicines and supplies efficiently and rapidly.’’ says Godfrey Kadewere, Director of Health Technical Support Services at the Malawian Ministry of Health.
In collaboration with national health stakeholders, the project will leverage WFP’s experience in food logistics to promote best practices in health supply chain management and strengthen health supply chain
Source: World Food Programme