At first glance, 70+ boxes in a warehouse may not seem remarkable—but they represent perseverance amid complexity, and hope for children facing scarcity.
Recently, a consignment of F-75 therapeutic milk (a critical treatment for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition) arrived in Ethiopia. Normally supplied by UNICEF to INGOs like Medical Teams, stocks had dwindled due to the US funding crisis.
Facing this gap, the Ethiopia team took on a new challenge: importing the milk themselves.
Importing into Ethiopia is never simple—especially for when we’ve never imported therapeutic food before. Multiple approvals, regulatory hurdles, and the fact that most INGOs avoid such imports made it a formidable task. Yet, after months of coordination between the Ethiopia team and Global Logistics, the therapeutic milk finally reached Addis Ababa.
The result: 1,250 children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition will receive lifesaving nutrition for a week.
This shipment is one of many managed through Ethiopia’s six warehouses, which handle over well over $1 million USD worth of pharmaceuticals annually. Managing such value and complexity demands innovative, efficient supply chain solutions. Ensuring access to essential medicines requires strong systems, diverse sourcing, and end-to-end visibility for informed decisions.
To strengthen this, our Logistics & Procurement team are going to be piloting a Pharmaceutical Information Management System (PIMS)—developed by International Medical Corps and funded by DG ECHO—to enhance health supply chains across East Africa.
This pilot will test a digital last-mile solution in Ethiopia’s warehouses and can be used for both health facilities and pharmacies. Success could pave the way for scaling to other country programs.
By digitizing information, having greater visibility of the supply chain, controlling costs, reducing paperwork, and maintaining optimal inventory levels, we aim to improve efficiency, patient care, and ultimately, better health outcomes for those we serve and their communities.
Watch out for more updates on the PIMS project in the coming months!
