The World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations has been given a two year agreement in the management of the Central Medical Store (CMS) of Liberia afterCMS over the past years was managed by the National Drugs Service (NDS-Liberia).
The two years agreement, which is a 4.2- United States Dollars initiated is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Speaking recently to journalists at the Central Medical Store of Liberia located in the Upper Caldwell Community, Montserrado County, WFP-Liberia Country Director, Dr. Aliou Diongue, said this two years agreement reached between USAID and Global Fund is to re-enforce and strengthen the health system of Liberia by given CMS to the World Food Programme (WFP) to manage the store and the same time to distribute medical drugs to health facilities across Liberia.
Dr. Diongue told journalists that this is the second agreement to be reached for the World Food Programme (WFP) to manage and the distribute drugs to health facilities between USAID and Global Fund, but the first agreement in 2021 for similar operation was between Global Fund and WFP.
He said the agreement is for the management of Central Medical Store of Liberia and distribution of drugs to clinics including health facilities which are essential.
Dr. Diongue: “WFP has a very model working with the Health Ministry to ensure the proper management of CMS as well as the effective and speedily delivery of medicines to the various health centers throughout the country”.
The WFP – Liberia Country Director said the delivery of medicines to health facilities was a major challenge over the years but with the coming in of WFP for the past two years, the delay usually experienced fordelivery was reduced dramatically given the capacity that World Food Programme (WFP)has.
He indicated that besides the delay in delivery of medicines to the various health centers, the lack of proper storage, stock-taken and expired drugs were some of the challenges of the Liberian Government.
“WFP has the expertise in logistical and delivery from Angola and other countries and the same is being replicated in Liberia; so in the delivery we either use flights and trucks. For the trucks we put in tracking systems to ensure that no medicines on the trucks are missing”, Dr. Diongue pointed out.
He disclosed that currently the Central Medicine Store of Liberia has in stock more than nine hundred commodities with the monetary value of 21 million United States Dollars, and they have done over 561 shipments of health supplies.
About WFP Logistics and Delivery Networks
Leveraging a network of eight humanitarian response hubs around the world, connected by air, road and sea links, WFP has dispatched over 148,000 m3 of critical health cargo to date.
Supplies including ventilators and personal protective equipment have been transported to 173 countries on behalf of 72 organizations.
Central Medical Store – Liberia (CMS)
The Central Medical Store (CMS), formerly national drug service (NDS) is primarily responsible for the storing and uninterrupted public medical supply chain in Liberia.
Prior to November 26, 2015, the National Drug Service was responsible for: Procurement, Storage and Distribution of Drugs and Medical Supplies. NDS autonomy ceased since November 2015 and the Ministry of Health took over.
Since 2017 the role of NDS has been reduced to only warehousing management (storage), while distribution has been outsourced. We only stored commodities procured by the government and partners, and plan national distribution.
Unlike previous years, when NDS/CMS was autonomous and therefore use her vehicles for delivery to the counties and the facilities at the last mile.
The partners now handle delivery themselves, firstly, USAID Implementing partner Chemonics, and now the Global Fund is handling distribution using WFP as 3rd party transporter.
CMS now only receives shipments for storage, process requisitions for dispatch which is delivered by WFP. At the county level the County Health Team distribute health products to the various facilities.
