Judith Phiri
THE National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm) has received essential medicine supplies at its Bulawayo regional warehouse, raising hopes of improved drug availability across Matabeleland amid calls for faster distribution to clinics and hospitals.
The consignment includes basic necessities such as paracetamol and normal saline, which had been in short supply.
Speaking after touring the facility on Tuesday, NatPharm board chairperson Professor Chiratidzo Ellen Ndhlovu warned that full warehouses must not be mistaken for effective service delivery unless stocks reach patients promptly.
“When you come into a warehouse like this and you find there is a lot of stuff in the warehouse, you could say it means we have a lot of stock,” she said.
“The question is, is it what we really need, what’s in there, and also should we have a warehouse that is full of stuff or should this stuff have been distributed and gone to the facilities?”
Prof Ndhlovu welcomed the restocking of long-absent drugs and commended the Bulawayo depot’s execution of deliveries under the Zimbabwe Assisted Pull System (ZAPS). She noted that the regional branch was outperforming Harare, where order fulfilment delays have hampered timely deliveries to health centres.
She also praised the installation of solar panels since her last visit, which has stabilised power at the depot, though she flagged urgent building repairs.
“I’m happy they do not seem to be having problems with their electricity. Last time I came here, they did not have the solar panels,” she said.
“We are glad that they are working well, but there are obviously issues with the infrastructure. They need to make sure they sort out the roofing. The infrastructure needs to be renovated, but in terms of stock they seem to be okay.”
The tour coincided with a NatPharm strategic review workshop in Bulawayo aimed at strengthening corporate governance, procurement and operational efficiency.
Prof Ndhlovu cited underfunding as a primary hurdle to meeting national healthcare demands.
“We still have to put the strategy together in terms of what it is that we are going to do that is better than what we did last year,” said Prof Ndhlovu.
“The bottom line is obviously the fact that NatPharm needs funding to be able to buy the stocks that are required so that we can deliver the medicines as required by the nation.”
To curb pilferage and eliminate manual bottlenecks, she urged the utility to upgrade its Enterprise Resource Management System and adopt modern digital tools, including artificial intelligence.
An integrated digital platform would allow management to track funds, procurement and stock movements in real time from warehouse to clinic, making it easier to spot and resolve supply chain delays.
