VillageReach has worked with the community and governmental partners to transform the vaccine supply chain in Mozambique, increasing access to vaccines at the last mile.
International vaccine coverage rates hover around 80% and 1.5 million children still die from vaccine preventable diseases. While vaccines and other medical commodities are widely available, delivering vaccines and reaching the final 20% of children in many countries is still a significant and complex challenge. Key decision makers do not have data visibility to accurately forecast and respond, transport issues prevent reliable deliveries, and health workers struggle to adequately deliver care given the immense demands placed on them.
Improving reliable access to vaccines under these constraints requires a system-wide approach in order to achieve long-term, sustainable impact. VillageReach worked closely with community and governmental partners in Mozambique to redesign the vaccine supply chain model. The results of these changes demonstrate how supply chain improvements made together as part of a system design approach can significantly increase vaccine availability at the last mile.
The new system currently reaches more than 900 health centers serving a population of over 18 million.
VillageReach currently provides technical assistance to provincial ministry of health authorities to support implementations and operations of the improved system in 9 out of 11 provinces as well as implementation of new strategies for continuous improvement and supply chain management.
The key components of the system are:
See how key elements of this approach differ from the typical multi-tier approach, and the impact of these changes on vaccine availability and cost:
An independent impact evaluation and complementary costing study revealed the following results of the Dedicated Logistics System (DLS) as compared to a controlled province:
Now, the patients come every day, because they know that they will find vaccines.
I don’t have to worry about going to collect vaccines, now they bring enough quantities.
VillageReach’s innovative approach to vaccine distribution formed the basis for the 2013 Gates Vaccine Innovation Award given to Margarida Matsinhe, VillageReach Field Officer in Mozambique. In 2014, Margarida was also named by Melinda Gates as one of nine world-wide leaders who are “changing the vaccine game.”