Govt commissions modern drug warehouse

 By: Leana Bradshaw –

The Health Ministry has commissioned a new state-of-the-art warehouse for HIV-related medicines at Diamond, East Bank Demerara last Friday.
The establishment of the new storage facility called ‘Supply Chain Management Complex’ was made possible through support from the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Global Fund, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

According to Health Minister Dr Bheri Ramsaran, the idea of the new bond was conceptualised about a decade ago, but there were some difficulties in its materialisation. He noted that “for several years, even before the building was conceptualised, we realised as an administration… that the bond at the mud flats in Kingston could not suffice. It was dilapidated, not properly managed, no concept of warehousing… and at the same time not having ideal conditions or even passable conditions; for example temperature”.
Dr Ramsaran added that a lot of resources and efforts were put into the establishment of the complex, and as such “it is a project too big to fail”. He posited that with correct supervision, wonders can be achieved.
“This is a modern facility and to manage it we have to have modern approaches to warehouse management, not simply a store room,” the minister said.
He noted that it is costly to maintain a cold storage for medicine and ensure there is no wastage of drugs due to inappropriate temperature and expiration.
Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Guyana D Brent Hardt said the “impressive new warehouse is a product of the decade-long partnership the United States and Guyana have forged under PEPFAR”.
The U.S. embassy has supported this project, which marks the culmination of five years of planning, through USAID and CDC. Hardt expressed gratitude to Supply Chain Management Systems (SCMS) project staff for their works and technical assistance.
The U.S. ambassador added that “the project… embodies the goal of making smarter investments and supporting interventions that optimise the targeting of the illness (HIV).”
He believes the facility will “significantly improve Guyana’s storage and distribution capacity for HIV-related and essential drugs by housing all medicines under one roof and in best conditions”.
Emphasising the need for the proper maintenance of the functioning of the facility, Hardt noted that “just as a sturdy ship can crash into a bed of rocks if not sailed skillfully by an experienced captain, so too, this facility needs skillful sailing to navigate through its challenges and continue to yield positive results”.
Acting President Samuel Hinds thanked the partners involved in the project and expressed hope that with the kind of efforts being continuously pushed into the treatment of HIV, Guyana will eventually accomplish a zero-rated HIV status.