Zambia's President Lungu Launches the US$2 million MSL Mpika Regional Hub

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On February 15, 2019, the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, launched the USAID-supported Medical Stores Limited (MSL) Regional Hub in Mpika, Zambia, to enhance facility-level commodity security. The state-of-the-art hub was constructed at a total cost of $2M by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with funding from The Global Fund, and operationalized by the USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project, which invested over $575K to outfit the hub. This includes provision of rackings, material-handling equipment and battery bays.

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President Lungu (3rd from right) commissions the Mpika Regional Hub
President Lungu (3rd from right) commissions the Mpika Regional Hub
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President Lungu (3rd from right) commissions the Mpika Regional Hub. Photo credit: GHSC-PSM
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Speaking at the launch, the President acknowledged that the Mpika Regional Hub is a visible and credible example of money well planned and spent to strengthen supply chain systems for medicines and supplies to the people. It facilitates last mile distribution and enhances availability of health commodities in Muchinga Province. The President thanked the cooperating partners, including The Global Fund, UNDP and USAID for supporting this significant investment.

He added, “I am delighted that government, through Medical Stores Limited and its partners, has built one of the largest and most robust public health supply chain systems for essential medicines and supplies in the world. The joint investment has resulted in 100 percent availability of antiretroviral drugs, malaria and tuberculosis medicines, among others, in our country.”

The Zambian government has prioritized the health of its people as a key economic investment which will propel the nation to become a prosperous and middle-income country by 2030. The decentralization of MSL by establishing regional hubs to serve the entire public health sector in Zambia will improve the availability of medicines to all parts of the country.