PR-UNOPS has made significant progress in procurement and supply chain management (PSM) to support implementation of the Global Fund grants in Myanmar in 2017. This includes warehouse monitoring and renovation, stock verification, training sub-recipients (SRs) in logistics management, organizing Logistics Management Strategic Advisory Group meetings and forecasting and quantification of drugs need.
Warehouse monitoring
In 2017, PR-UNOPS PSM team provided technical assistance to the AIDS, TB and malaria national programmes and other SRs implementing the Global Fund grants, to improve stock-keeping practices and supply systems, through 136 field monitoring visits to regional and state level warehouses and storage facilities. These visits help build the capacity of staff involved in store/warehouse management and distribution activities, to forecast, order, deliver, receive, store and distribute essential commodities. During these monitoring visits, national staff involved received on-site training to enhance their supply chain management capacity and to improve their knowledge in warehouse management and stock-keeping systems.
Logistics Management Strategic Advisory Group meeting
During 2017, PR-UNOPS PSM team organized two meetings of the Logistics Management Strategic Advisory Group in UNOPS Yangon office (26 May and 22 Nov 2017), with participation of the Global Fund grant implementing partners that are involved in supply chain management. These meetings provided a platform to discuss various supply management issues.
Logistics Management Information System and Non-health Procurement Training
Training for partners on ‘Logistics Management Information System (LMIS), and Procurement of Non-health Products and Services’ was organized by PR-UNOPS PSM team, held in UNOPS Yangon office on 18–19 September 2017. The aim was to enhance procurement and logistics management capacity of national staff involved along the whole health supply chain system, and thereby to strengthen the health system in Myanmar.
Strengthening the drug quality monitoring system
In collaboration with the Myanmar Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a robust in-country monitoring system for pharmaceutical products was established to ensure high quality of pharmaceutical products nationwide. Samples of drugs for quality testing are taken regularly from different locations across the country. In 2017, 70 samples of drugs were taken for quality testing from 50 warehouses across Myanmar. The capacity of national laboratory services has been strengthened and the Myanmar FDA Laboratory received ISO accreditation, which represents an important step towards providing internationally recognized laboratory testing services with accurate and reliable results for drug quality and safety.
Strengthening national laboratory services
To upgrade and strengthen the laboratory services in Myanmar for earlier and faster detection of TB and MDR-TB patients, biosafety level-3 (BSL-3) TB laboratory equipment has been installed in two laboratories in 2017, in Taunggyi and Yangon. As a result, both these laboratories now have BSL-3 TB designation. GeneXPert machines have been installed in national laboratories across the country.
