While many still lack access to essential medicines, it gives me joy to know that KEMSA is fulfilling its mandate by procuring, warehousing and distributing medicine to far flung health facilities in Kenya at an affordable price to promote greater access. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many weaknesses in supply chain systems in low- and middle-income countries. Those who saw the need to transform such as KEMSA in Kenya, NMSF in Sudan, and NMS in Uganda, may be able to cope better than others during the pandemic. For several years, we at PSA have encouraged South-South Knowledge Exchange (SoSoKE), an initiative to bring together health supply chain leaders and managers from two or more African countries to see each other’s operations up close and to learn from the other’s experiences. KEMSA is the public health supply chain agency where we have taken most of our clients. Now, you can see KEMSA in action for yourself. Please watch this video of their operations in Kenya. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU7dudHDoqk&feature=emb_title
We are glad to bring you podcasts for former Supply Chain Leaders. This month we share with you an interview I conducted for Dr Gamal Khalafalla Mohamed Ali, former Director General for National Medical Supplies Fund, Sudan.
Who is Dr Gamal?
Gamal qualified as a pharmacist from Khartoum University, where he also did his PG diploma in health economics. He has an MSc and PhD from UK Universities. He has over 25 years experience in varied areas in the field of pharmacy policy, regulations and supply chain for medical products. It was within this period (1992 to 2017) that he worked as a manager for RDF in Khartoum state, Ministry of Health. Then he shifted to the Federal Directorate of Pharmacy as a manager for Pharmaceutical services and planning department. He was the first secretary general of the semi-Autonomous Medicine Regulatory Authority of Sudan. After 33 months, he had been promoted to be the Director General of the National Medical Supplies Fund (NMSF). Gamal was the key architect of the NMSF’s reform, which included the transformation of the CMS to NMSF. After his resignation from NMSF in March 2019, he works for Pamela Steele Associates, which is an English constancy company specialised in training, research and public health supply chain transformation as a Supply Chain Transformation Chief strategist.
Tune in to the podcast clicking the podcast icon on the left side of the screen to learn from Dr Gamal's supply chain transformation journey and experience.
Those familiar with John Gattona and his work freely acknowledge that he is one of the most influential contemporary 'thought leaders' working in the supply chain domain. I first read one of his books "Planning a Distribution System" in 1986 when studying for my first certificate in purchasing and supply with CIPS. It won my heart to studying supply chain and I never looked back.