The Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) has commended the National Medical Stores (NMS) for embracing technology to improve accountability in the delivery of medicines across the country.
During a visit to the NMS headquarters and warehouse in Kajjansi on Friday, religious leaders hailed the institution’s Delivery Monitoring Tool (DMT), which tracks medicines from dispatch to delivery at health facilities in real time.
Bishop Andrew Lugoloobi, Secretary General of the Born Again faith in Uganda and a member of the IRCU Board, said the system has increased public trust in service delivery.
“The public needs to know about the delivery monitoring tool to ensure that there is accountability for the medicines received. I am very happy that NMS has taken strides to use technology to improve visibility and transparency in medicine deliveries,” he said.
The DMT, introduced five years ago, allows Ugandans to monitor deliveries through a publicly accessible online platform. It is part of a wider effort by NMS to strengthen transparency and combat the theft of medicines.
NMS General Manager Moses Kamabare highlighted additional interventions, including embossing medicines with the label “Government of Uganda, Not for Sale,” digitising operations through the NMS+ system, and delivering both medicines and vaccines directly to health facilities nationwide.
“We’ve reduced operational costs from 35% to 7% of the total budget from the Government of Uganda, expanded our warehousing space with the state-of-the-art Kajjansi facility, and implemented tools like the Delivery Monitoring Tool for transparency. But the biggest room we have is the room for improvement,” he said.
Kamabare also urged faith leaders to encourage preventive health practices. He stressed that 75% of diseases affecting Ugandans are preventable through habits such as regular handwashing, sanitation, exercise, and eating balanced diets.
Archbishop Jeronymos Muzeeyi of the Uganda Orthodox Church, who co-presides over IRCU, also applauded NMS for ensuring essential medicines reach Ugandans in need.
“Health is central to our collective well-being. By leveraging the grassroots reach of faith institutions, we can bridge gaps in health literacy, counter misinformation, and ensure medicines reach the most vulnerable. This partnership is an opportunity to serve,” he said.
The Archbishop further expressed IRCU’s readiness to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with NMS to promote medicine safety, vaccine uptake, and responsible use of medical resources.
The visit reaffirmed NMS’s role in using technology-driven innovations to enhance service delivery and ensure equitable access to medicines across the country.
