A case of healthcare supply chain visibility in South Africa

Bvuchete, Munyaradzi; Grobbelaar, Sara S.; Eeden, Joubert van

doi:10.1109/saibmec.2018.8363179

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…This is a supply chain system where every component, from raw materials to finished products, can communicate seamlessly. This level of connectivity and intelligence empowers organizations to forecast demand, optimize inventory levels, and swiftly adapt to market changes ( 39 , 40 ). Ultimately, it fosters a more agile, efficient, and transparent supply chain ecosystem.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Co-creation of a novel approach for improving supply chain management for SARS-CoV-2 point of care diagnostic services in Mopani District, Limpopo Province: nominal group technique

Maluleke,

Musekiwa,

Nxele

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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IntroductionEffective supply chain management (SCM) of point-of-care (POC) tests for diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) requires active participation from diverse stakeholders, government entities, and regulatory bodies. The responsibility for overseeing various aspects of POC tests, including procurement, quality assurance, storage, inventory management, distribution, and human resource capacity, lies with national, provincial, and local levels of government. This study aimed to collaboratively develop an innovative approach to enhance SCM for SARS-CoV-2 POC diagnostic services in resource-limited settings, using the Mopani District in Limpopo province, South Africa, as a case study.MethodsKey stakeholders were invited to participate in an online workshop using purposive sampling. The study employed the nominal group technique (NGT) for data collection, which consisted of two phases. Phase 1 focused on identifying barriers in the supply chain of COVID-19 rapid tests, while phase 2 aimed to devise strategies to overcome the priority barriers identified in phase 1. Participants used a Likert scale of 1–5 to rank barriers and strategies, and an overall ranking score was calculated for each. The participants were provided with the results of the ranking exercise for their feedback.ResultsEleven key stakeholders from national (n = 1), provincial (n = 4), and local government (n = 2) levels, research entities (n = 3), and non-governmental organizations (n = 1) took part in the study. Participants identified significant barriers in the supply chain, such as the availability of testing kits, unknown demand, information on SCM during a pandemic, methods of controlling stock, and procurement processes. Strategies suggested by key stakeholders included monitoring stock levels and optimizing stock visibility systems to improve test availability, enhancing information visibility and consistent data updates to address unknown demand and improve SCM during a pandemic, employing data capturing and digitization for effective stock control, and implementing demand planning and standardized procurement processes at the national level to enhance stock procurement.DiscussionThe successful collaboration with key stakeholders, facilitated by the NGT, resulted in the co-creation of a novel approach to enhance SCM for COVID-19 diagnostic services in resource-limited settings. This study holds the potential to support the provision of COVID-19 diagnostic services in such settings. A recommended follow-up study would assess the feasibility of implementing this approach.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite its effectiveness, the SVS does not yet include COVID-19-related commodities, hindering digital inventory management for these crucial supplies. Challenges identified, such as increased workload for staff and insufficient training, underscore the complexities of implementing digital solutions ( 40 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-creation of a novel approach for improving supply chain management for SARS-CoV-2 point of care diagnostic services in Mopani District, Limpopo Province: nominal group technique

Maluleke,

Musekiwa,

Nxele

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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“…The prime purpose of public healthcare supply chains is to ensure agile healthcare delivery systems for the citizens of a country, regardless of their geographic location and in response to diversified patient needs [19]. A strong healthcare delivery system cannot function without a well-designed, well-operated, and wellmaintained supply chain management (SCM) system-one that can ensure an adequate supply of essential healthcare products to the patients who need them [21]. However, public healthcare supply chains are not only growing in size; they are also becoming more complex, with an increasing number of interconnected parts and feedback loops within the system [17].…”

Section: Theoretical Background and Literature Review 21 Healthcare Supply Chain Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They support seamless flow of information between all stakeholders in the supply chain network, thereby enabling organisations to deliver customer requirements cost-effectively and on time. A fast data-exchange platform can facilitate the exchange of data among supply chain partners [7,21]. Moreover, technology enhances the collection, analysis, and accessibility of near real-time demand and inventory information at different nodes in the supply chain, enabling informed planning and demand-based replenishment as opposed to forecast-driven replenishment [17].…”

Section: Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Network Maturity Mapping Tool for Demand-Driven Supply Chain Management: A Case for the Public Healthcare Sector

2021

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The healthcare supply chain is a complex adaptive ecosystem that facilitates the delivery of health products to the end patient in a cost-effective way. However, low forecast accuracy and high demand volatility in healthcare supply chains have resulted in an increase in stockouts, operational inefficiencies, poor health outcomes, and a significant increase in supply chain costs. To cope with these challenges, organisations are trying to adopt demand-driven supply chain management (DDSCM) operating practices which have been established in other sectors such as the telecommunications, fruit, and flower industries. However, previous studies have not considered these practices in the healthcare industry, and hence no methodologies exist that support the implementation of these practices in this context. Moreover, current studies present cases where the focus has been on improving and expanding individual organisational performance, but no supply chain network-level studies exist on the healthcare industry. Therefore, this paper provides a network-level analysis when addressing DDSCM in the healthcare industry. A grounded theory-based approach coupled with a conceptual framework analysis process was used to leverage a systematized literature review methodology with the development of a network maturity mapping tool for DDSCM which was validated in the public healthcare sector.

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“…Often ICT4D interventions in healthcare fail due to a lack of uptake, lack of interoperability and coordination among ecosystem participants. For example, end-to-end visibility in the medicine supply chain in South Africa's (SA's) public health sector remains an elusive goal with a wide range of participants with different systems and reporting processeshere there remains a lack of a common platform used by all participants [12][13][14][15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The design and development of technology platforms in a developing country healthcare context from an ecosystem perspective

Herman

Grobbelaar

Pistorius

2020

BMC Med Inform Decis Mak

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Background: Research on the development and functioning of technology platforms specifically for health applications in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), is limited. The healthcare sector has also been resistant to platform adoption due to characteristics such as sensitive data and high cost of failure. A framework for the design, development and implementation of technology platforms in the South African health context could therefore contribute to the gap in research as well as provide a practical tool that platform owners could use to potentially increase the adoption of platforms in this context. Methods: The research design for this study was based on the Grounded Theory Conceptual Framework Analysis process. The process focused on mapping and investigating data sources, categorising and integrating concepts, synthesising these concepts into a framework and iteratively evaluating the framework. The first stage of the evaluation process was a preliminary evaluation exploring an existing Health platform in South Africa (MomConnect). The second evaluation stage included local and international interviews with nine experts to identify any missing concepts in the framework. Stage three included a case study and case study interviews which led to the formulation of the final framework and management tool. Results: The developed and evaluated framework comprised three components, namely the pre-use component, which includes considerations the platform owner should be aware of prior to using the framework. The framework comprises of two dimensions, 1) an ecosystem dimension to guide the platform owner to consider different ecosystem actors before embarking on designing a platform 2) a platform development dimension that include typical platform development components and presents an interpretation of the viewpoints included in the ecosystem levels. Conclusions: The final framework can be used by platform owners as a management tool. A unique contribution of this study is that the framework draws from two platform perspectives, namely the engineering and the economic perspectives to provide a holistic understanding of platforms. Finally, a contribution of this article is the tailoring of the framework for the South African health context.

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A case of healthcare supply chain visibility in South Africa

Cited by 5 publications

References 14 publications

Co-creation of a novel approach for improving supply chain management for SARS-CoV-2 point of care diagnostic services in Mopani District, Limpopo Province: nominal group technique

Co-creation of a novel approach for improving supply chain management for SARS-CoV-2 point of care diagnostic services in Mopani District, Limpopo Province: nominal group technique

A Network Maturity Mapping Tool for Demand-Driven Supply Chain Management: A Case for the Public Healthcare Sector

The design and development of technology platforms in a developing country healthcare context from an ecosystem perspective

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