By Ronald Joe MoroviaThe National Medical Supplies Agency (NMSA), the agency charged with the mandate of procuring, warehousing and distribution of drugs and medical supplies, has concluded regional engagements with local councils in the East, South, North and North-west regions of the country, to establish an understanding on the procurement mandate of the Agency. The engagement started in the Eastern Region District Headquarter town of Kenema, bringing together Council representatives, including Chief Administrators, District Medical Officials, District procurement officers and representatives from the Ministries of Finance, Local Government and the Decentralization Secretariat.
As the Agency with the exclusive right to procure drugs and medical supplies, the Acting Managing Director of NMSA, Jatu Abdulai, noted that the engagement was to help stakeholders understand the importance of streamlining the procurement of drugs and medical supplies to the National Medical Supplies Agency, as mandated by the Agency’s Act of 2017, which aims at providing supplies of quality drugs to health facilities for patients’ use.
Before this time, the procurement of drugs and medical supplies at the district level was done by Local Councils. NMSA is now positioning itself in the Management of drugs and medical supplies, hence, adding value to the country’s health systems in ensuring that procurements are done transparently and cost-effectively while increasing the bargaining power to drive the economies of scale in ensuring quality and affordable medicines are made available to Sierra Leoneans. These engagements provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to have clearly defined roles and responsibilities, thus, prioritizing inclusivity.
The Acting Managing Director disclosed that the ultimate goal is to develop a procurement process of drugs and medical supplies that will enhance quality and efficiency, while streamlining the procurement of drugs and medical supplies into one body, thus, creating a seamless way of managing drug supplies in the health infrastructure of the country.
Welcoming the engagement, stakeholders in the East and Southern region lauded the move by the National Medical Supplies Agency, describing it as one that is long overdue. They, however, called for continued engagement to better understand what their roles will be, in the drug and medical supplies procurement process design that the NMSA intends to develop.
As the Agency responsible for the procurement, warehousing, and distribution of drugs and medical supplies transparently and cost-effectively for and on behalf of all public institutions throughout the country, this is a milestone marker for improved health service delivery in Sierra Leone.
