ENBPHA COMMITS TO STRENGTHEN MEDICAL SUPPLY CHAIN

CAPTION: Provincial Pharmacist Leo Kume taking stock of medical drugs at the Medical Drug Area

BY WASITA ROYAL

THE East New Britain Provincial Health Authority (ENB PHA) has announced a renewed commitment to strengthening its medical supply chain throughout 2026, following the findings of its annual management review.

With the primary goal of ensuring that all residents have access to safe, affordable, and quality-assured medicines, the PHA will intensify efforts across the three core pillars of the supply chain: procurement, storage, and distribution.

This strategic focus comes in response to the 2025 report presented by Provincial Pharmacist Leo Kume, which pointed out the current availability of essential and commonly used drugs now stands at 60% across health facilities and the provincial medical store.

The review identified specific internal challenges that the PHA is now moving to address directly. While acknowledging that the procurement of drugs is primarily a national function, the PHA has committed to allocating additional local funding to mitigate current shortages.

Furthermore, a gap in human resources has been identified, specifically a shortage of pharmacy assistants and technicians. To solve this, the PHA will immediately move to recruit certified personnel in Basic Pharmacy Management for all facilities from Level 3 to 5.

An upgrade of drug storage compartments across all health facilities is now on the agenda. However, to ensure sustainability and proper execution, the PHA will first conduct a comprehensive survey to establish a detailed scope of work before any physical upgrades begin.

These combined efforts of immediate funding support, will target workforce recruitment, and planned infrastructure upgrades for the ENB PHA’s dedication to move beyond the status quo and build a robust health system capable of delivering consistent care to the people of East New Britain.