The second round of Logistics Management Information Systems Trainings 15.01.2015

Participants of the LMIS training in Hpaan Township together with facilitators, Kayin State, 2014 Photo: UNOPS

“We are very much impressed with the progress of the LMIS training at State and Region level. We are confident that these trainings will significantly contribute to building the capacity of staff nationwide towards overall health supply chain systems strengthening in Myanmar”, said Ms Nang Shri Seng Lao, UNOPS Logistics Officer.

Following on from the Logistics Management Information Systems (LMIS) training in 2012, UNOPS Procurement and Supply Chain Management (PSM) unit conducted the second round of LMIS trainings in a series of 26 two-day trainings during August to December 2014, covering all States and Regions across the country. The trainings were jointly organized with partners from the AIDS, TB and malaria National Programmes, and the Ministry of Health’s Disease Control unit.

The aim of the LMIS trainings was to equip participants with Standard Logistics Procedures and Policies for implementing the GFATM grants and to strengthen partners’ capacities for the management of their programmes, including for effective drugs storage practice and better reporting on the stock situation for improved planning and forecasting.

Participants were Government health staff from various levels of the health system, including State and Regional Health Officers, District Medical Officers, Township Medical Officers, Medical Superintendents, Medical Officers, and all other focal persons from the National Programmes involved in logistics and supply chain management.

Training presentations and discussions were facilitated in both Myanmar and English languages by PR and national programme officers. Training materials including presentations, forms and formats, discussion points and the LMIS manual were developed by the PR PSM unit and translated into Myanmar language.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the PR has successfully carried out all LMIS trainings planned in 2014, reaching a total of 52 training days. The second round of LMIS trainings were a great success with more than 2,000 participants actively taking part from more than 300 townships nationwide across 17 States and Regions.

“We are very much impressed with the progress of the LMIS training at State and Region level. We are confident that these trainings will significantly contribute to building the capacity of staff nationwide towards overall health supply chain systems strengthening in Myanmar”, said Ms Nang Shri Seng Lao, UNOPS Logistics Officer.

Having built the logistics management capacity of national staff – essential human resources of the government health structures – it will not be long before results of this Ministry of Health / UNOPS collaborative effort are seen in the form of better forecasting of stock needs informing procurement, as well as improved store management and reporting, towards overall health supply chain systems strengthening in Myanmar.