World Bank pilots new malaria medicine distribution method
Could reduce child deaths in Zambia
The World Bank claims that a new pilot system for distributing malaria medicines could reduce the number of children killed by the disease in sub-Saharan Africa by between 21–25%.
This system, trialled in Zambia, involved the appointment of district commodity planners co-ordinating the distribution of drugs already packaged and earmarked for local health facilities. It replaces the current bulk delivery of medicines to district warehouses, already assigned to clinics and hospitals, removing a wasteful intermediate distribution stage.
The World Bank concluded that the new system was successful. Paediatric malaria drugs were out of stock for an average of only five days out of 92 in pilot areas, compared with 29 days in control areas. This could reduce malaria-related deaths by 21% for the under-fives and 25% for the over-fives.
‘If the pilot is scaled up and supply chains are strengthened nationwide, thousands of children could be saved from malaria-related deaths in Zambia by 2015,' said the bank.
The US$20m World Bank Malaria Booster Programme financed the project. The bank acted after increased spending on malaria medicines by Zambia’s health ministry and partners had failed to solve drug distribution problems, which included transport shortages, district medical store logistics staff shortages and poor supply chain communications.
