However, he observed that to be able to ensure that the country has a CMS that is up to the task, responsive to the new trends of health care management and be able to respond to the needs of the National Health Insurance Scheme, there is need for reform of the unit.
Dr. Ahmad Lamin Samateh made this call on Wednesday at the opening of a day’s stakeholder engagement in the ongoing reforms of the Central Medical Store (CMS).
The event, staged by Central Medical Store and National Pharmaceutical Services, was held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre.
"The Central Medical Store is not just merely a building where medicines and medical supplies are stored. It is the very heart of our health care supply chain, the crucial link that ensures essential health products reach our hospital, clinics and ultimately our citizen from the furthest corners of our nation to the most urban centres."
Minister Samateh described the day’s event as a pivotal moment for the country’s healthcare sector; a moment where they collectively recognised the indispensable role of the Central Medical Store and the urgent need to strengthen its operations to better serve the people.
"The CMS is not just merely a building where medicines and medical supplies are stored. It is the very heart of our healthcare supply chain, the crucial link that ensures essential health care products reach our hospital, clinics and ultimately, our citizen from the furthest corners of our nations to the most urban centres."
To this end, Minister Samateh acknowledged that the current government has embarked on a very robust massive and health care strengthening.
This, he said, is embodied by the fact that there is expansion of health facilities in every corner of the country; upgrading, renovation and expansion of old facilities, capacity building and provision of live-saving equipment, just to name a few.
He, however, observed that these alone are not enough if one didn’t get the medical supplies needed to provide services, noting that in the health sector every aspect is so important.
Thus, he said, it is crucial for people to have a robust supply chain management system that provides for the needs of the patients in the country.
The Health Minister, however, alluded to the fact that CMS, in as much as it has been doing well in the past years, is also experiencing some challenges ranging from capacity, quality infrastructure and equipment to human resources just to name a few.
"To be able to ensure we have CMS that is up to the task, responsive to the new trends of health care management as well as Central Medical Store that will be able to respond to the needs of the National Health Insurance Scheme, which he said, has become a very important aspect of health care interventions in the country, we therefore need to reform the CMS."
The current mode of operation of the CMS, he observed, is not sustainable especially in dealing with National Health Insurance Scheme.
"We still have a centralised CMS at the Centre of the Ministry. However, they supply medication and supplies to the health facilities and these health facilities get compensated from the National Health Insurance Scheme and they do not compensate the Central Government and that will change."
He spoke of the government’s commitment to these reforms and recognise that investing in CMS is investing in the health and wellbeing of the nation.
