Distribution refers to the quantities of medicines, contraceptives, and health supplies that are issued between health system levels and are usually stored for certain periods of time. Each supply chain has a distribution system that ensures the delivery of needed commodities. The following resources also provide analysis of several distribution systems, identifying challenges and areas for improvement.
Once commodities have been procured and received by the health system, they are transported and stored at the service-delivery level until the user received the products. The storage process consists of a series of activities pertaining to adequately receiving, classifying, organizing, locating, and managing products and commodities. The resources for storage include best practices in a variety of country contexts, checklist templates, and examples of storage optimization
Effective inventory management is important to prevent the loss of products through expiration or mismanagement. A physical inventory is a process of counting by hand, at any given time, the total number of units of each commodity in the facility. Information gained from accurate inventory management is necessary to make decisions regarding the selection and purchase of products.
Procurement occurs following the development of a supply plan as part of the quantification process. Health systems or programs can procure commodities from international, regional, or local supply sources. Procurement should follow a specific set of rules and procedures to ensure an open and transparent process. The following resources provide an overview of the procurement process as well as guides and examples for designing and implementing a procurement plan.
Quantification and programming are phases of the logistics cycle that occur before procurement, but after product selection. Quantification involves both forecasting and supply planning. The efficiency of a supply chain relies on forecasts to determine the demand and procurement needs for a specific medicines, products, and health supplies. Accurate forecasts ensure programs have enough supplies to serve their users and avoid stock-outs. In documents within the toolkit, the terms programming and quantification are sometimes used interchangeably.
Product selection is a key phase of the logistics cycle. It determines what products are procured and used by the health system, in addition to the range of products available. Selecting products enables the design and execution of a nationally coordinated logistics system and permits the redistribution of products throughout the system.
Fuente: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
This module contains: training curriculums, manuals and related materials that can be used to plan or adapt training sessions and programs to develop the competencies of health providers, community staff and support staff to provide high quality reproductive health services. There are three subsections in this module that include training tools: (1) general resources; (2) intercultural resources; (3) family planning counseling resources. The last subsection is divided into resources for health service providers and community personnel.
Behavior change communication is an integral component of the promotion of recommended reproductive health services. Effective behavior change strategies and resources create awareness of family planning (FP), motivate people to seek health services, and address changes in sociocultural norms. These activities and materials may include: providing families with information about available reproductive health services and the benefits of using family planning, having group discussions on FP myths, and engaging community leaders to generate support for FP.
Successful programming of reproductive health services is influenced by smart design, planning, and management. This module provides tools and resources related to the planning, implementation, and management of programs and services in reproductive and sexual health. The resources cover wide range of technical topics, including cultural-appropriate family planning counseling, procurement and logistics of contraceptive commodities, as well as select tools on quality improvement and monitoring and evaluation.