In Zambia there is one central location where over 600 medicines are stored for distribution throughout the country. I was recently in Zambia as a guest of Malaria No More and its new campaign, Power of One that ensures that with a small $1 donation a Zambian child will receive a full course of malaria treatment and a diagnostic test. While in Zambia I visited the Central Medical Store located in Lusaka where I saw Coartem, the life-saving medicine that prevents children from dying from malaria.

While there, I couldn’t help looking around at many of the medicines stacked to the rafters in the warehouse and also noticed the donors that provided various medicines and even equipment like the Global Fund, for example, that provides Lamivudine that treats Hepatitis B. The UNFPA provides male latex condoms to Zambia and also donated forklifts to the warehouse as well as USAID that provides family planning commodities for Zambian women. These are just a few examples of some of the medicines I saw. Additionally, USAID provided trucks that transports the medicines throughout the country. These are just a few of the observations I made.

In Zambia the Ministry of Health along with many of its NGO partners are looking at new and innovative ways to distribute medicines more efficiently throughout the country. In many remote areas like Zambia’s northwestern and northern provinces it becomes increasingly difficult to transport medicines, especially when the rainy season begins. Getting life-saving medicines and medical supplies becomes critical for the health and wellness of entire communities.

Now, the Central Medical Store is rolling out temporary hubs where medicines and medical supplies can be housed in each province instead of solely stored in Lusaka. The first of these hubs has been opened in Choma, a nearby major city center south of Lusaka. In Zambia, each of its 650 health posts must have one to two months of medical supplies on hand whereas hospitals must have a three month supply of medicines. In addition to introducing hub warehouses throughout the country the medical distribution supply chain is becoming more cloud-based which will ensure health posts and hospitals are able to order medicines and supplies from their mobile phones.

It was fascinating to see the Central Medical Store in Lusaka. It’s a huge operation that receives five containers of medicines a day and is effectively the most important component of the entire country’s medical supply chain.

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