All industries are experiencing supply chain hitches due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a new set of operating procedures promises more efficient delivery of treatments and supplies for a group of disabling diseases called neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
NTDs affect more than a billion people globally, causing disabilities like blindness and organ failure, but they are mostly preventable. So why do a billion people still suffer from these preventable diseases? The challenge: getting the necessary treatments and supplies from the manufacturing factory to the communities that need them. This new video above highlights the logistical feats and numerous partners involved.
To address this challenge, last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) published new standard operating procedures for supply chain management of NTD health products based on procedures developed by the NTD Supply Chain Forum, housed at The Task Force. The NTD Supply Chain Forum is a multi-stakeholder partnership of NTD partners solving supply chain challenges in delivering NTD interventions.
Each year, billions of NTD treatments are manufactured, shipped and distributed to communities around the world, requiring numerous partners and actions at multiple points along the supply chain. These new procedures seek to streamline countries’ and national NTD programs’ management of this process to efficiently provide NTD services to their communities and ensure no one who needs treatment is left out.
“This is a major milestone for the NTD community because we are putting words into action by providing the tools to reach one of the goals set in the WHO’s 2030 NTD road map,” said Cassandra Holloway, Project Support Specialist for the NTD Supply Chain Forum. “The road map highlighted the importance of establishing an effective supply chain that ensures timely access to and availability of treatments and supplies.”
Watch to learn more about the journey of NTD treatments and supplies and what it takes for door-to-door delivery of this life-changing health care.
