IMPROVING HEALTH CARE DELIVERY THROUGH SUPPLY OF MEDICAL LOGISTICS

Women’s Health to Wealth’s (WHW) warehouse serves as the place for the storage of shipments of medical supplies from their partner in the United States of America, Americares for free onward distribution to over 100 sub-recipients of the Gift-In-Kind (GIK) program was in a deplorable state. The building had substantial external structural defects and lighting and ventilation issues which affected the means of storing medical supplies, especially those that required cold chain storage. This situation demanded urgent redress.

A picture of the inner part of the warehouse (before the renovation) during a meeting with public health nurses from the beneficiary districts in 2021 (Photo credit: WHW, 2021)

As part of the current Maternal Newborn and Child Health Intervention Program (MNCHIP) project Women’s Health to Wealth (WHW) upgraded the warehouse by awarding a renovation contract to a local real estate firm. The renovation works started on May 10, 2022, and were fully completed on July 25, 2022. During the renovation works, a ceiling joist and noggin to carry high-quality plastic T&G ceiling with corner moldings were fixed, two (2) Midea 2.5HP standing AC units with their accessories were installed, the access ramp into the warehouse was reconstructed, and lockable glazed windows to control
draft through existing jalousie windows were fixed, a connection of electricity from the power grid-ECG was done as well as the installation of a single phase meter at the warehouse and finally, the interior walls of the warehouse space and the entire exterior walls were repainted using American Acrylic paint (gloss). The renovated warehouse now has lighting, air-conditioning a reconstructed access ramp, and it looks beautifully repainted. Further to the renovation works, six 1000kg shelves were also installed at the warehouse, and also to improve security measures there, a glass security door and metal roller shutter
at the gate have been installed.

Inner view of the warehouse after renovation works and the installation of shelves (Photo credit: WHW, August 2022)

Now WHW has an improved warehouse and is putting in additional measures to strengthen its supply chain management in order to continuously provide health facilities with logistical support to improve healthcare delivery.

Story by : Yaw Sekeyere Frimpong
Logistics Officer December 20, 2022.