Launching the information revolution in the Ethiopian public-sector healthcare supply chain

On any day, the Pharmaceuticals Fund and Supply Agency (PFSA) in Ethiopia manages thousands of transactions—orders, receipts, issues, and transfers—which are the lifeblood of the public sector healthcare supply chain. PFSA, a Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) agency, ensures that all public-sector health facilities have the medicines and health commodities they need. Each transaction moves commodities one step closer to their end destination—the patients. To inform supply decisions, and to ensure the right quantities of the right commodities are going to the right locations, PFSA uses a locally developed warehouse and logistics information management system: the Health Commodity Management Information system (HCMIS).