Getting Medicines to Palestinian Refugees: A Simple Tool Links Data to Monitor Stock Levels for Pharmaceuticals

With 144 health centers and more than 3,300 staff, the agency delivers over 8.5 million primary health care consultations per year. Ayoub Mousa, Medical Supply Chain Coordinator for UNRWA, oversees the agency's decentralized pharmacies at 140 health centers, tracking stock levels using electronic medical records (EMR) but requiring a data link to the central warehouse. The central warehouse monitors stock levels through an enterprise resource planning (ERP) tool. As an interim solution, Mr. Mousa created a simple Excel-based tool that acts as a data bridge to link health care information and health facilities. The tool integrates data from EMR and ERP reports, extracting stock levels and entering them into the Excel sheet. A formula calculates the existing stock life, and the tool links the pipeline to the existing stock level, providing total stock life, including stock on hand and the pipeline. The Excel sheet displays plans for a year at a time, with overview rows and columns describing the percentage of time at risk of being out of stock and how often pharmaceuticals were running low. Built over four tabs, the sheet is simple to navigate and does not require much computing power or bandwidth. Each pharmaceutical product is identifiable through the ERP code and product description listing the name, dosage, and form of delivery. The tool was designed for UNRWA's specific supply chain processes but may be useful for other implementing partners looking for simple solutions to manage supply chain data. The tool allows UNRWA to avoid wastage and better plan for the next procurement cycle. Using a three-color scheme, it gives supply chain managers an easy overview of stock levels for all products. The tool's simplicity and ease of use make it an effective solution for managing supply chain data in humanitarian settings. UNRWA's use of the Excel-based tool is an example of effective supply chain management, which depends on end-to-end visibility of the right data of the right quality at the right time, in the hands of the right people in the right place, to make the right decision and take the right action. The Building Capacity to Improve Pharmaceutical and Medical Commodity Management in Humanitarian and Disaster Settings Project, managed by JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., improves the capacity of people who manage health supply chains in humanitarian settings. The project equips staff from international organizations and local NGOs with training, guidance, resources, and follow-up support to manage pharmaceutical and medical commodities. The project is funded by USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, and its goal is to improve the management of health supply chains in humanitarian settings.