The Ondo State government, in partnership with the Life Spring Development Foundation (LSDF), has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the state’s health supply chain through improved commodity forecasting and quantification.

The commitment was made on Friday in Akure during a two-day commodity forecasting and quantification workshop.

The training focused on members of the Logistics Management Coordination Unit (LMCU) and other health sector stakeholders.

Banji Ajaka, state commissioner for health and social welfare, described the workshop as a strategic investment in improving commodity security across the state.

Mr Ajaka, represented by Adewale Olanrewaju, director of pharmaceutical services, urged participants to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the training in their respective programmes and health facilities.

He noted that effective forecasting and quantification were essential to ensuring the continuous availability of life-saving health commodities and improving patient outcomes.

Also, director of family health, Isaac Aladeniyi, said the training would strengthen the capacity of health personnel to make evidence-based decisions on commodity planning and procurement.

“Accurate forecasting will help the state minimise wastage of health commodities, optimise the use of available resources, and prevent stock-outs in health facilities.

“The benefit of this training is far-reaching because it builds the capacity of people to forecast accurately. It strengthens the entire health system. Our projections become evidence-based, resources are better utilised, and we avoid unnecessary wastage.

“Improved commodity availability will directly enhance service delivery and contribute to better health outcomes for residents of the state. If the required commodities are consistently available in our health facilities and health workers have the capacity to use them effectively, we will ultimately achieve our goal of improving the health of our people,” he said.

Earlier, the state team lead of LSDF, Mercy Okeyode, explained that the training sought to strengthen the state’s health system.

Ms Okeyode said the strengthening could be achieved by building the capacity of personnel responsible for forecasting and managing reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health commodities.

She noted that the workshop complemented previous investments in training healthcare providers and was designed to ensure that essential commodities were available where they were needed.

“The availability will thereby support quality service delivery and improve maternal health outcomes.

“The training is expected to enhance the capacity of participants to generate accurate forecasts, improve commodity distribution, reduce stock-outs and wastage, and strengthen the overall health supply chain in Ondo State,” she said. 

(NAN)