Developing a Central Medical Store Strategic Plan: 10 Steps for Global Health Professionals

Developing a CMS strategic plan can help align pharmaceutical supply chain objectives with overall public-sector health supply chain strategies. It can help ensure that health commodities are readily available to health facilities through an uninterrupted supply chain; minimize waste and losses; improve business and financial growth; and respond to changes in the supply chain, such as new technologies and emerging markets. In addition, advocating for and encouraging stakeholders to assess the medicine supply chain system can increase interest in generating additional technical, financial, and material resources for health care. Supply chain interventions can also contribute to improving rational medicine use and strengthening pharmaceutical regulation.