28th November, 2017
In its bid to ensure the provision of safe and cost effective drugs among other health care commodities, the Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Health has inaugurated the Local Government Logistics Management Coordinating Units (LLMCU).
The Unit which is a sub-structure of Local Government Area focal officers created to organize, monitor, and support all health logistics activities from the health facilities in the local government area to the state level will be responsible for the coordinated collection and collation of data from Primary Health Care Centres.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Primary Health Care, Dr. Olufemi Onanuga who inaugurated the LLMCU in Ikeja on Tuesday noted that Nigeria is being faced with some challenges of procurement and supply management activities.
He added that the challenges include poor supply chain and demand management, high stock out rates, high wastages through expiration and poor visibility of procurement and supply chain management leading to suboptimal outcomes.
Said he, “These challenges led to the creation of the Nigeria Supply Chain Integration Project (NSCIP) of the National Product Supply Chain Management Program (NPSCMP) which is charged with the responsibility to institutionalize and strengthen the framework for an integrated, effective and efficient supply chain of health commodities”.
Onanuga explained that any government that fails to ensure provision of safe, and cost effective drugs amongst other health care services will be seen to be shirking in its duty as an efficient and effective health care provider stressing that the provision of medicines is critical to quality health care delivery.
“The Lagos State Government is irrevocably committed towards sustaining a vibrant healthcare to its teaming population and this is demonstrated with the massive upgrades of General Hospitals and Primary Healthcare Centres across the State, in keeping with the avowed commitment of the Governor to raise and sustain the confidence in public healthcare service delivery”, the Special Adviser said.
While thanking the Federal Ministry of Health and other implementing partners for helping to develop a robust supply chain management system in the State, Onanuga assured that the State Government will continue to collaborate with relevant Federal Government Ministries and Agencies as well as development partners towards effort that will improve health systems strengthening and ensure that clients are continuously provided with quality health care using deployed resources efficiently and effectively.
“With the inauguration of the LLMCUs, it is hoped that efficient public health programs will continue to impact in enhancing the health of our people and realizing the Lagos of our dreams by ensuring the distribution of medicines in a timely and efficient manner”, he concluded.
Earlier in her remark, the Director, Pharmaceutical Services in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Moyosore Adejumo stated that the key objective of the National Product Supply Chain Management Programme which begets the Logistics Managements Coordinating Units at the State, Local Government and Health Facility levels is to ensure the continuous availability of public health commodities at the National, State, LGA and Health Facility levels through interdependence and collaboration between all the supply chain actors in-country.
“The leadership of the State Ministry of Health in keeping with the lofty objectives for a better supply chain management system in the country inaugurated the State Logistics Management Coordinating Unit which is domiciled under the Directorate of Pharmaceutical Services in March 2014”, she added.
Adejumo explained that Local Government LMCUs will be responsible for the transmission of the aggregated logistics data from health facilities that are not electronically enabled within the LGA to State LMCU adding that the LLMCU will promote coordination and interdependence across all existing public health programmes operating within the LGA.
Speaking in the same vein, the Representative of the Nigeria Supply Chain Integration Project, Mrs. Talhatu Kazeem stated that all hands must be on deck to ensure that the Local Government LMCUs gets all the support it deserves.
“Most critically would be the support and buy-in of all the stakeholders at the local government and in the health facilities. The State is also expected to play a crical role of mentoring as we expect that they provide exemplary leadership to duplicate work done in the local government”, she stressed.