The Authority in collaboration with cooperating partners, Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program – Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) is developing Regulations and Guidelines on Traceability of Medicines and Allied Substances in the Zambian supply chain. The Regulations, based on GS1 Global Standard, will help to secure the pharmaceutical supply chain, enhance visibility, increase patient safety, and enhance public trust in the quality, safety and efficacy of the medicines and allied substances being distributed in the country.

Globally, the medicines supply chain faces a number of challenges, including proliferation of substandard and falsified medical products, ineffective product recalls, medication errors, supply chain inefficiencies and limited visibility.

These regulations and requisite guidelines, when implemented, will to a large extent mitigate these concerns through strengthened medicines and allied substances traceability, thereby ensuring integrity of the supply chain, combat of substandard and falsified medicines and allied substances, improved patient safety, and enhanced visibility of medicines and allied substances across the value chain. The initiative will enhance trust and transparency in provision of healthcare which is imperative to patient safety.

The meetings commenced on Monday, 7th November 2022 and ending on 11th November 2022 at Chita Lodge in Kafue District.