Guinea's National e-LMIS Roll-Out

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268 users in 38 districts now have instant access to consumption and stock data for 453 health facilities country-wide
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Guinea’s Ministry of Health (MoH) puts information at the heart of decision-making. The country’s existing Logistics Management Information System (LMIS) provides users data to ensure that health facilities and patients have access to the health products they need. To help revitalize the system, USAID helped create a Logistics Management Unit (LMU) within the National Directorate of Pharmacy and Medicine (DNPM) and developed a new operation manual to coordinate the supply of health commodities.

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Users’ training workshop in Faranah
Users’ training workshop in Faranah
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Users’ training workshop in Faranah
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However, because the LMIS is a manually operated system, accurate information on commodity stock levels in health facilities and pharmaceutical storage sites couldn’t be guaranteed. This meant limited visibility of logistics data, and limited use of the data to make critical decisions about stock management. To make the LMIS a more useful supply chain management tool, the LMU recommended automating it.  

Two applications were selected for the new automated system: The District Health Information Software (DHIS2), a data analysis and reporting platform, and eLMIS (OpenLMIS v2), a data management software. By connecting both applications, data is communicated and exchanged but not duplicated, and analysis and visibility are improved. 

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Training workshop for users from Labe region.
Training workshop for users from Labe region.
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Training workshop for users from Labe region.
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The USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project provided the assistance needed to implement the new e-LMIS, including the development of a roll-out plan for the automation process detailing roles, responsibilities, and commitments of each stakeholder. The roll-out team entered all 2017 LMIS data, developed training materials, created a pool of trainers, and organized training workshops in regions. They also set up a post-training follow-up system on the use of e-LMIS to support users’ performance.

Meanwhile, the MoH set up a governance body for the e-LMIS, including a steering committee and a multidisciplinary technical team with representatives of DNPM, Bureau de Stratégie et de Dévelopement (BSD), the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) unit and Pharmacie Centrale de Guinee (PCG), USAID, GHSC-PSM, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and the World Health Organization (WHO). The role of the steering committee is to i) ensure that the eLMIS project aligns with the vision and objectives of the MoH; (ii) ensure high quality contributions from entities; (iii) align the project with supply chain operational objectives; and iv) combine the efforts of the MoH entities for the project’s success.

These coordinated efforts led to a successful roll-out of e-LMIS in Guinea in August 2018. As a result, the monthly consumption of health commodities is now automatically calculated by the system and is based on real past consumption data.

Logistics information reporting has become a supply chain best practice for all health districts in Guinea and with the implementation of e-LMIS, the reporting rate is expected to be over 93% in July. Moreover, the formation of a pool of national trainers has allowed for all roll-out activities to be completed on time. Thanks to the e-LMIS, supply chain managers can identify which essential medicines and commodities are needed and can guarantee their continuous availability in the communities they serve.

The rollout of eLMIS is a result of effective coordination by the MoH and successful collaboration between USAID and the Global Fund. Through GHSC-PSM, USAID provided technical support for the rollout of eLMIS in all 38 districts. Also, USAID (through GHSC-PSM) provided funding to support eLMIS roll out in 19 districts while the Global Fund (through CRS) funded the eLMIS roll out in the remaining 19 districts.