HELP Logistics recently collaborated with the Africa Resource Center (ARC) and Afya Ugavi to organise a 5-day consultative roundtable workshop with key emergency supply chain stakeholders at the Kenyan Ministry of Health. The objective of the workshop was to evaluate and enhance the Kenya Public Health Emergency Supply Chain Framework.

The framework was established to provide the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) at the ministry with the necessary guidance and resources for effective deployment of medical countermeasures during catastrophic events such as terrorist attacks, floods, mudslides, mass casualty incidents, and outbreaks of disease.

Currently, the framework outlines the requirements for addressing limitations in leadership and governance, commodity planning, logistics, and support, as well as the major features of those categories and what readiness looks like in terms of the people and processes involved. However, it does not provide specific details on how to implement the framework, which can make its application challenging.

During the meeting, HELP Logistics provided suggestions to improve the supply chain and logistics components of the framework. These suggestions aim to make sure that the framework can be effectively and efficiently implemented.

HELP Logistics looks forward to working closely with the ministry to strengthen its evidence-based decision making. We are committed to supporting humanitarian organisations and government agencies in assessing potential disaster scenarios, identifying types of potential disruptions, determining the likelihood of their occurrence, and analysing their potential impact so that resources can be effectively focused. By doing so, we can build resilient supply chains that can better withstand negative disruptions.