The 'Moving Warehouse' (MW) system of vaccine distribution issues vaccine as needed from a mobile stock to a series of stores situated on a pre-planned delivery circuit. MW has proved to be the best of the available choices in countries of three regions, by achieving the following comparative advantages:
Delivery circuits to multiple stores are planned to be the most efficient use of vehicle time and distance at least cost per dose;
By merging the estimation of vaccine needs with the issue of new vaccine supplies in the presence of supervision, orders are less bureaucratic and more accurate;
Including Supportive Supervision with the delivery of vaccine assures regular checks on remaining physical stock and oversight of quantities supplied in relation to consumption;
Timely execution of scheduled deliveries of vaccine reduce stock-outs substantially and protect the availability of shared vehicles for distribution;
Offers the opportunity to include collection of used syringe safety boxes for disposal at the supplying store or hospital;
Centralised management of the cold chain during distribution achieves a higher level of compliance with vaccine handling procedures;
Budgeting for distribution is more predictable when costs are centrally managed, without the need for reimbursements associated with collection.
MW systems have been installed in Senegal, Tunisia, Indonesia and Mozambique (where the earliest implementation took place in 2001-2008), either at the stage of pilot projects or at the stage of regional or national scale-up. Since 2010, VillageReach has supported the Mozambique Ministry of Health in a large-scale program covering four provinces, servicing a population of approximately 13 million people. More information on each deployment can be found below.
SENEGAL
Lessons Learned From an Operations Research Assessment of New Supply Chain Demonstrations in Four Countries: A Framework for Decision-Making: Albania, Senegal, Tunisia, and Vietnam
http://www.path.org/publications/detail.php?i=2344
INDONESIA
Streamlining Immunization Logistics in the Provinces of Central Java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia
http://www.path.org/publications/detail.php?i=1350
MOZAMBIQUE
Evaluation of the Project to Support PAV (Expanded Program on Immunization) In Northern Mozambique, 2001-2008: An Independent Review for VillageReach With Program and Policy Recommendations
http://villagereach.org/vrsite/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Evaluation-ExecSum-and-Report-081202.pdf