Portable ventilators strengthen Uganda’s emergency care

by | Apr 11, 2022

Health supply chains play an integral role in improving access to critical lifesaving health commodities. In recent years, the healthcare system in Uganda has come under increased pressure and the need for portable ventilators has rapidly risen. 

Uganda, with a population of 45.74 million*, has one of the highest numbers of traffic fatalities in the world. In a recent blog post, Dr Annet Alenyo Ngabirano, the president of the African Federation for Emergency Medicine (AFEM), provided a glimpse of Uganda’s situation from a medical professional’s perspective. She wrote that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the lack of medical equipment available to perform adequate prehospital emergency care.

Given the sparse landscape in Uganda, emergency services have to endure long distances to arrive at hospitals. This increased the need for portable ventilators which were critical to saving patients’ lives.

In 2021, supply chain solutions provider The Partnership for Supply Chain Management (PFSCM), collaborated with emergency medical technology company Weinmann, to procure and deliver 16 portable MEDUVENT Standard continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) ventilators to Uganda’s Ministry of Health (MoH). 

Dr. Annet Alenyo – the president of the African Federation for Emergency Medicine (AFEM) holding a CPAP portable MEDUVENT Standard ventilator.

The ventilators, which operate independently of oxygen and use turbine technology, enable healthcare professionals to ventilate patients on the go via a low-flow supply of oxygen, without the need for an external gas supply. The simple and user-friendly ventilators, equip healthcare professionals in Uganda to respond to emergency situations more effectively.  

PFSCM coordinated the procurement, ensured that the ventilators met country regulations, and collaborated with 3PL partners to ensure all importation documents, and waivers were in place for efficient customs clearance and delivery.

Working with suppliers and managing good relationships ensures clients have access to affordable quality products that are readily available from authorized suppliers for all purchasing scenarios including emergency responses. PFSCM’s agility and 16 years of proven experience have capacitated countries like Uganda with sustainable supply chain solutions that have driven better health outcomes and positively impacted the lives of many in need.

*(2020 statistic – according to the Worldometer)

 

Improved health outcomes
  • Patients receive better treatment, and more lives are saved.
  • Increased capacity for local emergency response and care, and optimized health service delivery. 
  • Enabling local emergency professionals to respond more effectively.