MDA experiences from Mozambique

In this step, Sharone Backers, Country Representative for RTI International, talks about her experiences planning and coordinating MDA in Mozambique.

Sharone works as part of ENVISION, a global project funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which works in partnership with ministries of health to control and eliminate seven neglected tropical diseases.

MDA programmes requires a wide range of partners

They work together to:

• Manage, deliver, store and distribute donated drugs

• Mobilise the community and ensure people and leaders understand the benefits of MDA

• Liaise closely with the health ministry

The MDA supply chain is adapted for the local context and co-ordinated by the national programme.

Stages of the MDA supply chain

• Confirmed allocation of donated azithromycin shipped from international warehouses

• Shipment arrives in country

• Receipt and customs clearance at the port of entry to country

• Distribution and transport to regional and district storage facilities

• Distribution and transport to health centres and health posts

At each point in the supply chain, information on the action being carried out is updated and communicated. Full visibility on shipments from the International Trachoma Initiative is now provided with the Zithromax® Shipment Tracker.

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Tools used to manage the supply chain

• Contact tree: Contact information on each person receiving the drugs during distribution and transport

• Excel sheets: Logistics information with the date, location and quantity of drugs and which transport carrier is responsible

• Inventory lists and stock cards: Information on the storage and transfer of drugs from warehouses, and on damaged cartons and expired drugs

As you watch the interview, consider why a reflection meeting at the end of each MDA cycle each year is so important.