An innovative solution to improving healthcare access and availability in Lesotho and a heartwarming project that saved 160 endangered vultures were among the topics on the programme at the annual SAPICS Spring Summit, a leading event for supply chain professionals that was held in in Johannesburg recently by supply chain industry body SAPICS.
Fanie Hendriksz, managing director of Right ePharmacy, shared the South African healthcare tech startup’s Lesotho success story, which was undertaken in partnership with USAID, the Lesotho Ministry of Health and Riders for Health. “BonoloMeds”, as the project was named, is a decentralised drug distribution innovation. It is designed to make free medicine collection for patients with chronic conditions easy and address some of the challenges faced by the Lesotho healthcare system. These include the shortage of pharmaceutical services, overcrowding in busy healthcare facilities, limited infrastructure and limited medicine access, all of which contribute to poor medication adherence and poor healthcare outcomes for patients living with chronic conditions.
By enabling them to collect their medicine from high-tech “Collect & Go” smart lockers or from specific pick up points, the need to stand in long queues has been eliminated by BonoloMeds. The initiative has successfully improved healthcare access and availability in Lesotho. It has had a positive impact on patients’ treatment adherence. It has reduced waiting times for patients, reduced costs and improved patient experience and healthcare outcomes. By enabling patients to collect their medicine confidentially from state-of-the-art E-lockers, it is also a destigmatised solution, Hendriksz told SAPICS Spring Summit attendees. This is especially significant given Lesotho’s HIV prevalence, which at 21.1%, is the second highest in the world.
Vultures may seem like an unlikely topic at a supply chain conference, but the logistics and security involved in transporting these magnificent and highly sensitive birds captivated 2024 SAPICS Spring Summit delegates and underscored the vastly varied scope of the supply chain management profession. Nadia Opperman, distribution centre controller at DHL Supply Chain, shared the details of DHL’s partnership with Vulpro to transport 160 Cape and African White-backed vultures from Hartbeespoort to Shamwari Game Reserve – a journey of 1 042 km covered in 18 hours.
VulPro is a non-profit vulture rehabilitation organisation. Based in South Africa, it is the only vulture conservation organisation in Africa.
Opperman told SAPICS Spring Summit attendees that moving critically endangered animals is a massive task that requires extensive planning and collaboration among various experts, including conservation organisations, wildlife veterinarians, transport specialists and security staff. “The planning process for this project began 16 months before the actual move, with weekly calls held two months before to determine the requirements and the best time for the relocation to happen. Procedures were established and rehearsed to ensure that everyone understood their roles on the day of the move,” she explained.
“Special crates were constructed to transport the vultures individually, providing ample space and ventilation to minimise stress and ensure the safe transport of each bird. The team monitored the weather for over a month before the move to determine the best time to load the vultures and begin the long journey to the Eastern Cape. All these preparations were made to minimise the stress on the vultures during the move, with their safety, well-being, and survival always being the top priority.
“The move involved more than 50 people who all had one vision – to safely transport these vulnerable birds to their new forever home. Despite the complexities of this project, every single one of the 160 vultures was successfully relocated,” Opperman reported. She noted that the DHL drivers who lead the convoy deserved a special mention and kudos for their contribution to the project’s success. Because of this successful Vulture relocation, The BornFree Foundation approached DHL to assist in moving two lion brothers who were rescued from war-torn Ukraine.
The 2024 SAPICS Spring Summit was sponsored by Neways and Relex.
For more information:
Email: info@sapics.org.za
ABOUT SAPICS: http://www.sapics.org
Since 1966, SAPICS has worked to elevate, educate and empower the community of supply chain professionals in South Africa and across the continent. This is done via membership, events, the annual conference and education courses and workshops through Authorised Education Providers and others.
SAPICS is registered in South Africa as a not-for-profit company. Its mandate is to ensure that any profits made are used towards the continual development and overall benefit of individuals and organisations in the supply chain management profession.
The annual SAPICS Conference is the leading event in Africa for supply chain professionals.
