Traceability in Ethiopia’s Health Sector: Piloting GS1 Barcodes with Global Trade Item Number Serialization to Track Health Commodities from Supplier to Health Facility

The Pharmaceuticals Fund and Supply Agency (PFSA), a division of the Federal Ministry of Health, collaborated with the USAID | DELIVER PROJECT and the United Nations Population Fund to test the feasibility of using GS1 barcodes with Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) serialization to track health commodities from supplier to health facilities. The pilot project focused on an emergency contraceptive pill (levonorgestrel 750 mg) supplied by Famy Care Limited, India. The supplier printed barcodes on tertiary- and secondary-level packaging of the product, which included a GTIN with serialization that uniquely identifies the products down to the item level. The barcodes were scanned using a custom-built android mobile application, the GS1 Barcode Reader, which linked to an existing health commodity management information system (HCMIS). The GS1 Barcode Reader worked by checking scanned GTINs against a local database of known GTINs in the HCMIS. The products were scanned at various stages of the supply chain, including the central warehouse, the Addis Ababa distribution hub, and the two health facilities in the Addis Ababa area. The pilot project achieved positive results, including faster and more accurate data entry, successful tracking and tracing of health products, and time savings. The benefits of the pilot project included traceability, time savings, reduction in errors and redundancies, and adaptability. The use of the barcode technology enabled PFSA staff to view and track product and transaction information in real-time on a customized web platform. The pilot project also received positive feedback from PFSA staff, particularly for the speed and accuracy of data collection. Lessons learned from the pilot project included the importance of quality, size, and placement of barcodes on products, as well as the need for a dedicated hardware scanner for future work. Tracking secondary-level packages at the central warehouse was considered challenging, and tracking at the container level may provide more immediate benefits. The pilot project has promising results to inform broader traceability efforts in Ethiopia's public health sector.