Distribution systems and controls
International Health Partners will provide the essential controls that are necessary to ensure that life-saving donated aid arrives where it is intended and gets distributed responsibly to those most in need.
IHP has access to 50 years of experience from North America. The successful systems and controls used by Health Partners International of Canada (HPIC) over the last 10 years provide a particularly valuable model. These systems will be adapted for IHP's use to ensure that pharmaceuticals and other healthcare products are distributed appropriately, safely and quickly to those most in need.
Procedures and controls will include the following:
- When a drug or other medical product is offered to IHP, we will assess whether this product is appropriate for use in the developing world. We will preferentially seek to source medicines on the WHO list of essential medicines, but will accept other medicines and supplies if these have been approved by the recipient and can be put to good use at their destination.
- Medical products will be delivered to a secure warehouse, where they will be sorted, inventoried, warehoused and prepared for shipment before being shipped along best practice warehousing lines under an experienced warehouse manager.
- For UK health professionals receiving Travel Packs for overseas work, we will require a proof of a valid current professional license and a thorough description of their intended project.
- To ensure the appropriate and secure distribution of supplies, IHP will work only with accredited NGOs, healthcare workers and facilities. The support of local government and local health care networks will normally be essential to the effective provision of aid.
- Distribution partners overseas will always be directly accountable to either the local government or a recognised, competent and accredited (charitable) body with an administrative office in the UK.
- Distribution partners will be pre-vetted to ensure that they have appropriate administrative, distribution and dispensing procedures, and medical staffing.
- Distribution partners will have to provide IHP with ongoing written feedback as to the delivery and distribution of donated products.
- There will be a secure audit trail between source and destination. IHP will make donations subject to independent, on the ground audit checks. IHP expects to conduct periodic random field audits of donations.
- We expect to co-operate with British Embassy trade officials who may be asked to advise on, and oversee, the passage of large shipments of donated supplies through port of entry/customs.
- If there is a product recall, the computer inventory system will be able to track each donated item and quickly issue a recall order even if the product is overseas.
see WHO Guidelines on Drug Donations and The Red Cross Code of Conduct
International Health Partners
(UK) Ltd: The Fold, Beech Hill, Wadhurst, East Sussex TN5 6JR
Company Registered No: 5044723 Registered Charity
No: 1105455 © International Health
Partners (UK) Ltd
This site was updated on 09.05.08