VillageReach, a founding member of OpenLMIS, and partners have just released v1.0 of OpenLMIS, an innovative logistics management information system that fulfills the needs of multiple countries, particularly those in low- and middle-income contexts. This latest release of OpenLMIS includes features originally planned for our v1.0 release, plus additional improvements based on lessons learned from […]
Read moreA driving force behind the creation of OpenLMIS was the need for an electronic logistics management information system (LMIS) that would not be encumbered by the same limitations found in systems historically available to the global health community. Central to this goal was the necessity for OpenLMIS to be a web-based system with additional offline […]
Read more(Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net) “When you have common interfaces, common protocols, then everyone can innovate and everyone can interoperate. Companies can build their businesses, consumers can expand their choices, the technology moves forward faster, and users get more benefit..” —Craig Barrett (1) Logistics management information systems are often made up of multiple software applications that […]
Read moreCountries that are resource constrained face many challenges as they work to improve the health of their populations. Many new life saving health technologies have been invented or adapted and made available to help countries address the health challenges they face. One major challenge countries face is delivering vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and medical supplies to community […]
Read more‘Supply chain’ is an often-used phrase in health care encompassing a wide range of processes. The word ‘chain’ implies a step-wise process, and when one link is not functioning properly, this disrupts the entire system. There is a lot of focus on strengthening the supply chain for pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and other health supplies – […]
Read moreMobile phones have been heralded for the immense impact they have had in improving communication or information flows on global, national, and local levels. Their benefit has extended to numerous sectors of the economy including agriculture, banking, and now health. A key area in health care delivery where mHealth has begun to make an […]
Read moreLast-mile logistics systems need quality demand and inventory data shared through reliable coordination mechanisms to prevent unnecessary cost and waste. But in global health, the ideal condition — real time actionable data — is difficult to come by. Ground realities contribute to this. Poor road infrastructure means long delivery lead times, the absence of computerized […]
Read moreThe paper-based information systems that nowadays support the immunization programs in developing countries have long struck me as arcane and ineffective. All around the world, at the end of each month nurses and other health workers typically take a break from their real job to prepare a set of reports for their district supervisors, to […]
Read moreAs a provider of emergency medicines and medical supplies in response to shortages caused by disasters and instability AmeriCares relies on the needs identified by our on-the-ground partners. A recurring challenge is our lack of visibility to our partners supply chains and distribution networks except through cumbersome, often manual reporting. This limits our ability to […]
Read moreGood forecasting for health commodities for both short- and long- term horizons can be very beneficial for supply chain planning. Good forecasts help reduce wasted inventory and improve availability of health commodities. Expectations of having good forecasts make various decision-makers, such as donors, procurement agents and medical personnel, less anxious about being involved in supporting […]
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