Management members of two specialized agencies of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health – the Food, Medicine, Healthcare Administration and Control Authority (FMHACA) and the Pharmaceutical Fund and Supply Agency (PFSA) – took part in an awareness raising workshop on track and traceability of medical products which was held today. The track and traceability initiative which is jointly coordinated by FMHACA, PFSA, UNFPA, USAID, and JSI aims towards adopting globally recognized standard for identifying, capturing and sharing supply chain data and achieve full end-to-end traceability of medical products.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Rakoto Victor, UNFPA Representative a.i. noted that track and trace work would greatly reduce workload on front-line logistics managers while significantly improving data quality. “It is also key in the fight against counterfeit medical products, which remain to be a threat compromising all the other efforts being made to save lives” Mr. Victor added.
A presentation was made during the event on the road map on Ethiopia's journey toward traceability for patient safety and efficiency in the health care supply chain. Lessons were also shared on the initiative from the experience of early adopters.
The track and trace initiative is believed to enhance alignment and coordination within a supply chain or integration of relationships and operations of several-tier suppliers in meeting requirements such as quantity, delivery and the timely exchange of information.
