The government of Zimbabwe has announced that the construction of the state-of-the art warehouse for the National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm) in Harare is progressing well, with completion expected well ahead of schedule. Construction of the project which began in August 2019 is expected to be completed in two years.
According to acting managing director of National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm), Mr Roland Mlalazi, construction of staff houses and offices within the same grounds have already been completed. “The current warehouse is very small since it was meant for a few people and limited diseases, but now the disease burden has more than tripled and requires a much bigger facility,” he added.
State-of-the art warehouse
The warehouse will also be equipped with an IT system, state of the art equipment and sound security systems. With these systems, the new warehouse is expected to make recording, storage and stock taking easy as everything will also be computerized as opposed to the current manual set-up. NatPharm procures medicines and medical supplies in all public health institutions and mission hospitals around the country.
The new warehouse will also adhere to World Health Organisation (WHO) and Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) guidelines for storage of health commodities in the facility.
Also read:Construction of NatPharm warehouse in Zimbabwe to begin
Benefits
Once completed, the project, which is a partnership between the Zimbabwe and Chinese governments, will accommodate 22 000 pallets of medicines while the existing structure accommodates only nine pallets.
The company will also ensure that the pharmaceutical warehouse infrastructure meets international standards to efficiently store medicines and other pharmaceutical products which will provide good health care and save lives. The warehouse will also benefit the customers; from higher product availability, shorter delivery times and more efficient processes.
