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Learner Stories

Andrew Dzapata works as a pharmacy manager at Chikombedzi Mission Hospital in Chiredzi District of Zimbabwe. He has been in pharmacy practice for 30 years. His work experience has been varied, as he moved from one organization to another, each requiring specific skills.  

As a pharmacy manager, he is responsible for ensuring that product inventories are sufficient to meet market needs and that time and temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals products are secured and stored under prescribed conditions, eventually delivered to patients. He is also responsible for maintaining the inventory control system for the hospital’s products. 

The last mile challenges for Chikombedzi Mission Hospital are primarily the geographic location, which is not fully serviced by all-weather roads allowing for timely delivery of time and temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals (TTSPs) to the hospital and clinics in the area. Another challenge is the sporadic and intermittent availability of certain lines of drugs and surgical items at any given time. This results in a breakdown of the supply chain, with patients going home without their prescribed medications. The mission hospital in Chikombedzi is particularly lacking in infrastructure to ensure good storage conditions for TTSPs.

“My greatest wish is to find ways to change the mindset and attitude of my colleagues regarding the need to ensure good storage conditions for our TTSPs in the hospital.”, says Andrew. In terms of product availability, his desire is to improve supply so that patients receive the medications prescribed to them in the hospital. “Timely deliveries will go a long way towards improving the availability of medications in the hospitals,” says Andrew.

On his association with Bee Skilled Hive, he said the knowledge he gained from his educational journey helped him improve his supply chain skills.

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