A pregnant smallholder farmer in rural Mozambique has enough on her mind. Harvesting, getting wood, finding water, cooking, and feeding ― the list goes on. She also needs access to a clinic for an antenatal visit, where she should also receive long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) to protect her and her young children during the upcoming rainy season. But she is far removed from the city, and she doesn’t live within easy walking distance of a health center. Instead, she walks several miles to the nearest rural clinic. When she arrives, she learns that they are out of LLINs, which means that her family will remain at risk of getting malaria. Shortages like this exacerbate public health challenges associated with prevention and treatment of diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS.
Health commodity shortages are often caused by a lack of data visibility and reliable delivery options throughout in-country supply chains. To improve data visibility and increase the efficient and effective delivery of vital health commodities between warehouses and distribution points, such as rural clinics, Chemonics, with engineering support from Arizona State University (ASU), developed Transportation Information Tool (TransIT), a cloud-based transport management system that consists of a web-based and mobile application. The tool was developed for use by the USAID Global Health and Supply Chain Program – Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project to meet countries’ last-mile delivery challenges. GHSC-PSM purchases and delivers health commodities, strengthens national supply chain systems, and provides global supply chain leadership to ensure lifesaving health supplies reach those in need, when they need them.