WHO works to improve access to universal health coverage for those affected by NTDs and supports the global NTD community in the smooth running of the supply chain management cycle. The global NTD community, like many other health sectors, faces several challenges and hindrances in the supply chain management cycle. These include selection of health products, quantification and forecasting, supply planning and procurement to final delivery and consumption, reporting from primary health care units to national levels, and compliance with accountability and transparency requirements as a guarantee of the sustainability of the supply chain for donated health products. As in many areas of health, most of the issues are related to capacity, financial resources, infrastructure, human resources and a lack of tools and awareness related to management of essential health products.
The campaign nature of NTD programmes puts particular stress on supply chain management systems in countries where NTDs are endemic by requiring large boluses of medicines, diagnostics and other medical products to be delivered in relatively narrow timeframes for the purposes of MDA, surveys or other campaign-style events.
Following a consultative assessment exercise with Member States, 11 key supply chain areas were identified and prioritized and a set of specific standard operating procedures (SOPs) were developed by members of the NTD Supply Chain Forum.
The procedures are intended to help strengthen the capacity of health ministries and NTD programmes in mainstreaming and institutionalizing efficient supply chain management for NTD health products including donated medicines. They outline supply chain tasks and responsibilities before, during and after MDA and present key considerations for planning and implementing related activities within countries. They are intended to serve as templates for countries to adapt to their unique contexts, from national to primary health care unit levels. The intention is to help health workers improve their skills in handling, delivering and managing NTD commodities and provide an entry point for managing essential health products for communicable and noncommunicable disease health programmes.
To facilitate access by national, regional and district-levels stakeholders and Community Drug Distributors (CDDs) to the SOPs for supply chain management of n