The Ministry of Health will no longer grapple with storage space for medical supplies following the launch of a mega drug warehouse at the Kigali Special Economic Zone, Masoro. 

Construction of the Rwf1.4 billion facility took a year to complete and it covers 24,000 cubic metres in space. 

"The introduction of this structure will increase the number of medical warehouses we had elsewhere from 10 to 3,” said Dr Marc Herant, the director-general of Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC). 

He said the new development will not only ensure more space, but will also improve accessibility and convenience. 

"Coordinating transportation of drugs from 10 warehouses scattered around the city, to various district pharmacies was not only time-wasting, but also an inconvenience and gave chance to error,” Dr Herant said. 

Rental cost

Celsa Gaju Muzayire, the head of procurement and production division at RBC, said the new facility would reduce rental costs by 60 per cent.

"We have been spending about Rwf400 million every year on renting storage facilities,” Muzayire said. 

She added that the new establishment   was designed in a way that allows   future mechanisation and technological development, resulting in use of less human labour. 

Joseph Kabatende, the RBC head of pharmaceutical services and logistics, said that the development will enable stocking drugs in bulk since it’s spacious, eliminating  problems like drug shortage which was the case before. 

"Much of the money that should have been spent procuring drugs has always ended up being spent on rent, so this development was overdue,” Kabatende said.

Drug safety

He said safety of drugs is guaranteed since the structure was built basing on international standards. 

"We have had to employ  many air conditioners in every warehouse, but it won’t be the same for this one since there is natural ventilation,” Kabatende added.

Dr Agnes Binagwaho, the health minister, said the facility is an important milestone in provision of quality healthcare in the country. 

"This development will not only bring about efficiency, but also sustainability in medical supplies chain management,” the minister said.

The construction of the facility was jointly funded by the Ministry of Health and Global Fund.