BACKGROUND

As part of its efforts to establish an effective supply chain for health products and technologies (HPT) in Kenya, the Kenyan Ministry of Health (MoH) created a dedicated HPT Division responsible for overseeing the distribution of all HPTs across the country.

Towards the end of 2019, the MoH, with the support of development partners, began creating a national HPT supply chain strategy as part of its efforts to achieve universal health coverage. This National Supply Chain Strategy (NSCS) aims to layout the new strategic thinking for strengthening supply chain systems for Kenya. In addition, the HPT Division thus needed to develop an implementation plan to accompany the NSCS.

ARC’S ROLE

The HPT Division invited the Africa Resource Centre (ARC) to join its broad-based consultative process to develop the NSCS. ARC has supported the implementation of the NSCS in several ways, including costing of the implementation plan activities to inform the annual and multi-year operational budgets. ARC also brokered a consultant and an enabler with expertise in costing national strategic plans to support the HPT Division in developing a detailed costing for implementing its strategy.

In addition to the expert resource, ARC has placed an enabler within the MoH to advise at the policy and strategic levels to support good governance of supply chain services. This support will enable the MoH to create a robust, effective supply chain infrastructure in its universal health coverage commitments.

In 2021, the HPT Division introduced a non-communicable disease (NCD) strategy in the NSCS. ARC supported the division to cost the strategy and ensure that supply chain requirements were effectively integrated.

As part of its approach, the HPT Division has allocated resources to different departments to advise and follow up on supply chain issues. ARC participates in these meetings, particularly for NCD-related commodities, and provides technical expertise to resolve supply chain issues.

In addition, ARC brokered a consultant to support the HPT division to resolve country-level supply chain challenges that were faced around NCD healthcare commodities, particularly on the costing process.

OUTCOMES AND IMPACT

ARC’s support to ministries of health focuses on strengthening six supply chain elements. The work on Kenya’s supply chain strategy strengthened all six areas of strategy, improvement roadmap, governance, policies and research, solutions proposals, and budgets and investment cases.

BROKERING SUPPORT FOR STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT

Key elements: strategy and improvement roadmap

The consultant brokered by ARC supported the development of the NCD strategy to be included in the NSCS.

IMPACT: The NCD strategy aligns with the MoH’s needs and will support the increased availability of essential commodities across Kenya.

SUPPORTING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGY

Key elements: governance, policies and research, and solutions proposals

By integrating different partners in the planning process, the government was able to benefit from an expanded range of ideas and approaches to achieve a robust and effective supply chain strategy and an implementation plan for HPT delivery in Kenya.

IMPACT: The ministry will officially launch the final costed implementation plan report alongside the NSCS.

CONNECTING GOVERNMENT WITH PRIVATE SECTOR EXPERTISE

Key elements: governance, solutions proposals, and budgets and investment cases

ARC leveraged its networks to broker the necessary expertise to support the MoH with the implementation planning for the NSCS.

IMPACT: 

ARC provided access to subject matter expertise to support the inclusion of NCDs in the national strategy.

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