Rwanda Digitizes National Medical Supply Chain

This digital transformation is part of Rwanda's broader strategic plan to ensure universal access to quality health services. The government-owned Rwanda Medical Supply (RMS) Ltd. is tasked with managing the end-to-end health supply chain, from procurement and storage to distribution to all public health facilities. This initiative aligns with the country's fourth Health Sector Strategic Plan, which emphasizes a proactive pharmaceutical supply chain. A key component of this digitization has been a long-standing partnership with Zipline, a U.S.-based drone delivery company, which began in 2016. This collaboration made Rwanda the first country in the world to launch a national drone delivery service for medical supplies. The autonomous drones deliver blood, vaccines, and essential medicines on-demand, drastically reducing delivery times from hours by road to minutes by air. The impact has been significant, with drone delivery contributing to a 51% reduction in maternal deaths from postpartum hemorrhage. Health facilities can place orders via SMS, email, or WhatsApp, and from order to a drone being airborne takes less than six minutes. This system has been crucial for remote and hard-to-reach rural facilities, which previously faced delays and challenges with cold chain storage. The system is now expanding to cover the entire nation, including urban areas like Kigali, and will support a network of over 1,000 health facilities. Beyond Zipline, RMS is integrating its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems with electronic medical records (EMR) for complete data visibility and is exploring AI for demand forecasting. This comprehensive digital approach aims to achieve a 96% product availability rate and reduce stockouts across the country. This success has positioned Rwanda as a global leader in autonomous logistics and has been supported by partners like the U.S. Department of State. The nation has also established a Drone Operation Centre to foster innovation in the field. International partners, including USAID, have been crucial in strengthening the electronic logistics management information system (eLMIS) and building in-country capacity. The transformation addresses previous challenges within the supply chain, which in 2016 included a 10% stock-out rate and underutilization of the former electronic logistics system. By centralizing procurement and distribution through RMS and leveraging public-private partnerships, the system has dramatically improved efficiency. For instance, customer satisfaction with RMS's ability to meet demand jumped from 29% between 2019-2020 to 75% by the end of 2024.