The National Medical Stores (NMS) has said it has started dispatching to government health facilities medicines ordered online.
Health facilities were previously ordering supplies from NMS using hand-delivered requisition forms to the latter’s regional offices or headquarters in Entebbe, which was prone to slow deliveries and poor traceability of orders.
But NMS said in statement yesterday that health facilities can now place orders using a new online platform dubbed NMS Plus, which aims at improving efficiency and transparency.
“On Friday, the first deliveries of medicines ordered online were made to Moroto, Jinja, Mbale, Soroti regional referral hospitals; Kawolo, Buwenge, Kamuli, Masafu, Bududa, and Kayunga general hospitals, as well as to Bududa and Manafwa districts, among others,” the statement read in part.
“For the first phase, NMS on boarded 278 health facilities; these include national referral hospitals, national institutes (such as heart institute, blood bank etc.), regional referral hospitals, general hospitals and health centre IVs,” the statement added.
More to benefit
Ms Sheila Nduhukire, the NMS spokesperson, said they will extend this technology to health centre IIs and IIIs.
“With the online platform, health facilities are able to place their orders online. With a click of a button, they make their orders, NMS receives them, rejects or approves the orders based on the budget of the hospitals. This gives powers to the facilities,” she said.
Ms Nduhukire said the digitisation process, which involves tracking all patients who receive medicines from health facilities, will be crucial in eliminating the rampant drug theft in the country.
Some hospitals had complained earlier that they are struggling with poor or lack of Internet connectivity.
But NMS said in the statement that the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Ministry of ICT and the National Information Technology Authority of Uganda (NITA-U) will provide connectivity to such facilities at no extra cost.
The new system
Health facilities were previously ordering supplies from NMS using hand-delivered requisition forms to the latter’s regional offices or headquarters in Entebbe, which was prone to slow deliveries and poor traceability of orders.
But NMS said in statement yesterday that health facilities can now place orders using a new online platform dubbed NMS Plus, which aims at improving efficiency and transparency.
