For sustainability and capacity building in social sectors, Pakistan on Tuesday launched the first Logistics and Procurement Cell, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
USAID provided supply chain and logistics support to the Government of Pakistan through the USAID Deliver Project, which started in August 2009. The project works in collaboration with the Planning and Development (P&D) division of Pakistan, provincial and regional departments of health and population, United Nations Population Fund and non-government organisations, to ensure availability of contraceptives at every level of the supply chain.
The web-based Logistics Management Information System (LMIS) is an essential ingredient of the Logistics and Procurement Cell for policy, strategic and operational decision-making based on data at every level. While speaking at the ceremony, P&D Division Secretary Sohail Ahmad said that the LMIS will provide critical information on actual trends of contraceptive consumption at district and provincial levels.
USAID Deliver Project Country Director Dr Muhammad Tariq said that Pakistan is learning the science of logistics and optimization of supply chain, within health and population sectors.
LMIS is a step towards sustainability and an integral component of health systems strengthening and the cell will improve availability of health products throughout Pakistan, said Tariq. Since January 2010, USAID had provided more than Rs2.4 billion in contraceptive product support to Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 6th, 2011.
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