September 2019

People that Deliver Newsflash

In this issue:  Feedback Survey People that Deliver Partners with the Global Fund to Support their Capacity Building Supply Chain Transformation Framework Highlights from the 11th Annual Health & Humanitarian Logistics (HHL) Conference in Kigali, Rwanda News from Partner Organizations Upcoming Events

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People that Deliver Partners with the Global Fund to Support their Capacity Building Supply Chain Transformation Framework

In June 2019, the People that Deliver (PtD) launched a new partnership with the Global Fund to support their capacity building “EDIS” (Engage, Design, Implement, Sustain) supply chain transformation model through six main activities that will be completed over a period of one year. The EDIS Model aims to strengthen Supply Chain organizations from their foundation. For each of the four phases, PtD will be developing resources and tools to support supply chain practitioners working in countries. The tools are meant to build upon one another, to leverage new skills and competencies acquired through each phase. For the first phase, or “Engage,” PtD will be piloting the new PtD Building Human Resources for Supply Chain Management Assessment Tool to determine the current status of the supply chain (SC) workforce and help prioritize areas for improvement. PtD will also create an Awareness Campaign so that supply chain workers understand how their role in the supply chain leads to improved health outcomes. In phase two, or the “Implement” phase, PtD will finalize a Modelling tool that uses in-country data to estimate the optimal distribution of human resources for health supply chains so that country level SC leaders can make more informed HR decisions. Next, PtD will launch a global standards of health supply chain roles and job descriptions. The SC leader and other managers will pull from the job descriptions as-needed as they build up their workforce based on needs identified using the Modelling Tool.

The Global Fund’s EDIS Model for programmatic capacity building supply chain transformations

Phase three, or the “Implement” phase, PtD will develop an HR for SCM policies package that can be applied to different SC organizations. The activity also includes trialing the package in one Global Fund country. The foundational HR policies that will be included are in line with those policies outlined in the PtD HR for SCM Theory of Change: recruitment and selection, equal employment opportunities, environmental and occupational safety policies, supportive supervision, and performance management policies. The final activity under phase four, “Sustain” is the re-design of the “Performance Management Toolkit for Immunization Supply Chain Managers” for all Global Fund health programs. The toolkit will enable and support the embedding of effective people management practices while promoting an understanding of the importance of performance management and encourage best practice within national health supply chains.

This new collaboration was officially kicked off in Geneva, Switzerland in July 2019 when PtD Executive Manager, Dominique Zwinkels, and Global Fund Learning and Development Specialist, Ingrid Gázquez, presented to Global Fund staff, on the Theory of Change for building human resources for supply chain management and the EDIS model. Dominique debuted a new animated video that explains the purpose of the Theory of Change, the video can be viewed on the PtD YouTube channel . All materials developed from this partnership will be made available on the PtD website and shared with the PtD network.

PtD Executive Manager, Dominique Zwinkels, in Geneva with Ingrid Gázquez Learning and Development Specialist Supply Chain with the Global Fund

Highlights from the 11th Annual Health & Humanitarian Logistics (HHL) Conference in Kigali, Rwanda

HHL 2019 welcomed over 200 participants from 106 different organizations and 31 countries. The PtD Secretariat was heavily involved again this year, both Secretariat staff members were on the organizing and the program committees. This year’s conference focused broadly on resilience, with the purpose of building greater understanding on how supply chain practitioners at the country level can meet basic health and humanitarian logistics needs without reliance on external assistance. The conference was opened by the Honorable Minister of Health of Rwanda, Ms. Diane Gashumba, followed by a Keynote Panel with four highly esteemed representatives from the Ministries of Health in Rwanda, Liberia and Somalia, providing a broad perspective on some of the priority areas, challenges, and successful initiatives.

HHL 2019 Chairs, Organizing Committee, Program Committee, host, and sponsors

On the first day, PtD Executive Manager, Dominique Zwinkels, and PtD Board Deputy Chair, Paul Lalvani, moderated a panel on the topic of private sector engagement to build resilience in the health and humanitarian supply chain, discussing recommendations for the public sector on how to best build and sustain an effective supply chain in resource limited settings. What is the comparative advantage of private sector in improving public health supply chain performance? Board member Alfons Van Woerkom from the Global Fund was one of the panelists, including Jim Coughlan, Global Solutions Director at UPS, Robert Kimbui, Senior Supply Chain Manager at Johnson & Johnson, Peter Okebukola, McKinsey Health Care Practice Lead for West Africa, and Malyse Uwase, Director of Health and Impact at Kasha. The key takeaways were as follows: Innovation and financing are necessary for us to reach our SDG goals Alternative financing mechanisms are being explored by organizations as overseas development assistance (ODA) decreases Robert Kimbui from Johnson & Johnson talked about the DHIS2, a data visibility platform in Kenya, that is owned by the government, but managed by private sector partners as an example of a successful Public Private Partnership. He added that we need to identify mechanisms that don't put an additional burden on the population, with a need for governments to spend more.   Alfons Van Woerkom showed in his research that the upfront costs that governments have incurred have paid off with more economic growth. But asked, how do you ensure growth in the healthcare industry if governments aren't willing to invest?

Private Sector Panelists and Facilitators, from left to right: Dominique Zwinkels, PtD; Alfons van Woerkom, the Global Fund; Peter Okebukola, McKinsey; Malyse Uwase, Kasha; Robert Kimbui, Johnson & Johnson; Jim Coughlan, UPS; Paul Lalvani, Empower School of Health

PtD finished out the day by co-hosting a workshop with the International Association of Public Health Logisticians (IAPHL) where guests were invited to share their thoughts on how public health logistics assets could be used to support humanitarian emergency response. The speakers confirmed that there is very strong interest for a network of regional logisticians that would be available to respond to humanitarian disasters, as was necessary for the Cyclone Idai response and recovery.  You can watch a video recap of the first day of the conference featuring PtD Board Chair Dr. Lloyd Matowe here .  On the second day, the PtD Secretariat convened a roundtable discussion and networking event for women working in health supply chains. This included the launch of an online platform for virtual collaboration using Slack. The online group is free to join and you can do so by clicking on this link .

PtD Executive Manager, Dominique Zwinkels and PtD Project Officer, Alexis Strader

Overall, this year’s conference proved to be a success with significant participation from the African logistics community and engaging discussions on a variety of valuable topics. As the conference concluded, Dr. Julie Swann, HHL Co-Chair and Professor at North Carolina State University asked participants to consider the knowledge they would take away for themselves and for colleagues, the actions they planned to take upon their return, as well as the actions they would ask others to take as a result of what they experienced during the conference. The presentations, keynote speeches, videos and photos from entire event can be viewed on the 2019 Conference website .

News from Partner Organizations

Leadership at the Heart of the Vaccine Supply Chain Transformation in Ethiopia In Ethiopia, JSI has been working with the Ethiopia Procurement and Supply Agency (EPSA), on transforming the vaccine supply chain to improve performance and enhance sustainability. In their publication, “An Unfinished Journey: Vaccine Supply Chain Transformation in Ethiopia” they explain the rationale for this transformation, what was done and why, challenges encountered, successes, failures, and lessons learned. High level federal ministry leadership, combined with that of Regional Health Bureaus (RHBs) was a key success factor. A key success factor was having political buy-in, who will support the transformation process. In their experience, the human challenges proved to be some of the most difficult aspects to manage. Many organizations and individuals were resistant to change. You can read the full article on JSI’s website here. Ethiopia’s supply chain transformation began in 2013 and continues today. While significant strides have been made, the transformation is not over. JSI hopes that this document will encourage other countries to consider such a transformation, and the lessons here will help them to achieve success.

Pharmaceutical Systems Africa (PSA) Wins Global Fund Grant to Transform Supply Chain Management in Liberia  Following decades of conflict and the recent Ebola epidemic, Liberia has begun the process of rebuilding its shattered health system with the help of the international community. Despite allocating nearly 15% of the national budget to health, the country’s health system has been heavily underfunded, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) in 2010 to develop a 10-year Masterplan with three core objectives: (i) One system, integrated from top to bottom, harmonized across multiple distribution streams for all health products and ensuring a single chain of accountability, (ii) Provides product availability, and (iii) Reduces the burden on healthcare workers at the lowest levels. In 2017, the Global Fund, a major health systems donor in Liberia, commissioned a diagnostic report of this Masterplan that revealed that just three of 23 assessed supply chain strengthening initiatives had been fully implemented since 2010, with 15 initiatives not having been implemented at all. This low implementation rate reflected a weakness in the coordination mechanisms required to follow up on these projects.

The team visiting the Central Medical Stores, Caldwell, Monrovia. From left, Bob Steele; Mr Boakai Boley (MD of CMS), Alfons Van Woerkom (the Global Fund), Dr Lloyd Matowe (PSA), Alex Korkolea (CMS – Ops Director), Marta Darder (the Global Fund), Emma Delmotte (the Global Fund)

Under a Global Fund project starting in March 2019, Pharmaceutical Systems Africa (PSA) has supplied an experienced supply chain professional, Bob Steele, to support the Liberian Ministry of Health in planning and implementing its supply chain initiatives. In this role, Mr. Steele is responsible for the coordination of activities, resource mobilisation, and reporting required under the Liberian Supply Chain Transformation Plan (SCTP) Project funded by the Global Fund. PSA, through Mr. Steele, has been supporting the Liberian Ministry of Health to improve product availability via four core work streams: (i) Critical near-term governance interventions including a restructuring of the supply chain and network redesign; (ii) Improving data availability and data use; (iii) Restructuring the Central Medical Stores (CMS) and driving performance improvement; and (iv) Improving distribution processes to increase medical product availability and monitoring supply chain key performance indicators. The project will continue into 2020, further contributing to PSA’s reputation and impact in health systems strengthening in Liberia.

SAPICS Conference 2019 Re-cap From 9-12 June 2019 supply chain professionals from public and private sectors around the world converged in Cape Town, South Africa, for the annual SAPICS Conference , now in its 41st successful year. This event is hosted by SAPICS, the Professional Body for Supply Chain Management and proud board member of People that Deliver.  SAPICS President Keabetswe Mpane introduced the event to attendees outlining that it offered an array of presentations and workshops aimed at building excellence in individuals and enterprises in the field One such workshop was co-facilitated by PtD and the International Association for Public Health Logisticians (IAPHL), entitled “New Horizons in Public Health Supply Chains: The Emerging Role of The Private Sector”. The public health supply chain is a growing market, with over one billion consumers. It is also a market that can benefit dramatically from private sector experience. This panel discussion shared private sector experiences, challenges, and opportunities of supporting public health supply chains in Africa. The discussion was framed around four basic models that countries use to engage the private sector, highlighting the need for public accountability and stewardship, collaboration through public private partnerships, applying private sector practices to improve public health supply chain performance by adapting and learning, and through private sector contracting (“How Private Sector Solutions Can Strengthen Supply Chains for Public Health”, JSI 2016). Five guest panelists: Khadija Jamaloodien, National Department of Health South Africa; Alan Bornbusch, USAID; Eugene Coetzee, Celsian Consulting; Phil Roberts, Project Last Mile; Sandra Lambert, Biovac offered their perspectives on this topic.

Other presentations covered topics ranging from the supply chain risks posed by Brexit to those faced by peacekeepers in Somalia and healthcare workers in remote African villages; from robotics, risk management and state capture, to reality television and water and waste management. PtD board member Dr. Andrew Brown highlighted Human Resources as the forgotten heart of supply chain performance. And for the second year in a row, there was a panel on women in supply chains. (Photo above) Panelists from left to right: Eugene Coetzee, Celsian Consulting; Khadija Jamaloodien, National Department of Health South Africa; Alan Bornbusch, USAID; Phil Roberts, Project Last Mile; Sandra Lambert, Biovac

Dr. Andrew Brown presenting on the Building Human Resource for Supply Chain Management Theory of Change at SAPICS

UNICEF Supply Division holds Leadership Forum for Immunization Supply Chain Managers in West Africa UNICEF in collaboration with WHO organized a two-and-a-half-day forum on leadership strengthening for the Immunization Supply Chain (ISC) as part of a five-day Regional West and Central African Region ISC Workshop which covered Leadership, the Cold Chain Equipment Optimization Platform (CCEOP), Effective Vaccine Management (EVM) 2.0 and Data for Management in Abidjan, Côte Ivoire. The workshop targeted National Immunization Supply Chain workforce from 24 countries to strengthen capacity, capture best practices, and lessons learned in the region. From 20 to 24 May 2019, the team convened 86 regional leaders of the Vaccine Supply Chain, logistics and technical managers, supply chain specialists for immunization, external partners, and UNICEF subject matter experts, with the following objectives: To recap successes and priority gaps within the region in terms of EPI programs attaining ISC systems maturity To enable participants to identify key ISC leadership actions for EPI program implementation in 2020 in the context of HSS funding cycles To galvanize regional engagement for the collaborative rollout of the ISC systems strengthening agenda The key outcomes from this engagement will define key immunization supply chain technical and leadership capacity development efforts for the region in the coming year.

Workshop participants pose for a group photo during the event

With the help of a talented graphic facilitator, participants created a visual to represent “Leadership”

Upcoming events

ASCM Conference The Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) is holding their annual conference from 16-18 September 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This year is the inaugural event from ASCM (formerly APICS) and offers four “tracks” based on the SCOR-P model. There will also be a Women in Supply Chain Forum on the first day. Visit their conference website for more information and to register .

Immunization Supply Chain Leadership Webinar Series JSI, with Gavi support, is hosting a webinar series to build the supply chain leadership capacity of EPI program and supply chain managers, drawing on experts in the field and experience from many countries around the world. The first webinar will take place on 17 September at 13:00 GMT and focuses on “Strategic Planning for Immunization Supply Chains.” Click here to register.

Global Health Supply Chain Summit The 12th Global Health Supply Chain Summit will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa from 20-22 November 2019. The theme for this year is, “Maximizing Global Health Supply Chain Impact using Data and Analytics, Entrepreneurship and ensuring Accessibility for all.” The deadline for abstract submissions has already passed, but you can still submit nominees for the GHSCS prize (the deadline is 13 September). Registration is open now and simultaneous translation in French and English will be available. For more information, please visit the event website: http://ghscs.com/

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