Heads of religious institutions, under their umbrella body the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) have commended the National Medical Stores (NMS) for its technological innovations in the distribution of medicines. This recognition came during their visit to the NMS headquarters and warehouse in Kajjansi.
NMS uses the Delivery Monitoring Tool (DMT) an online platform that alerts stakeholders when medicines are dispatched from NMS warehouses in Kajjansi and Entebbe, and when they are delivered to health facilities.
Speaking during the tour of the warehouse, Bishop Andrew Lugoloobi, Secretary General of the Born Again Faith in Uganda and a member of the IRCU Board, praised the innovation. “The public needs to know about the Delivery Monitoring Tool to ensure accountability for the medicines received. I am very happy that NMS has taken strides to use technology to improve visibility and transparency in medicine deliveries.”
The Delivery Monitoring Tool was introduced five years ago to enable all Ugandans to track medicines in real time from dispatch to delivery at their respective health facilities via a publicly accessible platform: https://dmt.nms.go.ug.
On his part, Mr. Moses Kamabare, General Manager of NMS, highlighted several other interventions the organization has implemented to prevent the pilferage of medicines after delivery. These include:
- Embossing medicines with “Government of Uganda Not for Sale” as an official identifier
- Digitizing all NMS operations through the NMS+ system, which enables real-time ordering of medicines by health facilities
- Extending last-mile delivery of medicines and vaccines to all health facilities
“We’ve reduced operational costs from 35% to 7% of the total budget provided by the Government of Uganda. We’ve expanded our warehousing capacity with the state-of-the-art Kajjansi facility and implemented tools like the Delivery Monitoring Tool for transparency. But the biggest room we have is the room for improvement,” Mr. Kamabare noted.
Mr. Kamabare also urged religious leaders to preach the gospel of preventive health to their congregations, noting that 75% of diseases affecting Ugandans today are preventable. He emphasized the importance of adopting basic primary health care practices such as handwashing, proper sanitation, regular exercise, and a healthy, balanced diet. These, he said, would contribute to improved national health and reduce the demand for essential medicines.
In remarks delivered by Co-President of IRCU, Archbishop Jeronymos Muzeeyi of the Uganda Orthodox Church, and the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Rt. Rev. Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, NMS was lauded for its vital role in ensuring that medicines reach Ugandans who need them most.
The Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) and National Medical Stores (NMS) also explored transformative ways to collaborate in improving public health service delivery and ensuring equitable access to medicines across Uganda.
“Health is central to our collective well-being. By leveraging the grassroots reach of faith institutions, we can bridge gaps in health literacy, counter misinformation, and ensure medicines reach the most vulnerable. This partnership is an opportunity to serve,” stated the Archbishop.
He also affirmed IRCU’s readiness to formalize its collaboration with NMS through a Memorandum of Understanding:
“We are ready to partner with NMS on joint campaigns that promote medicine safety, vaccine uptake, and the responsible use of medical resources.”
