For health facilities, reliable access to essential medicines and medical supplies can make the difference between delayed treatment and timely, life-saving care. Through stronger partnerships with faith-based medical bureaus, Joint Medical Store (JMS) continues to strengthen the supply chains that enable health facilities to deliver quality, affordable health services to the communities they serve.
This commitment was at the centre of a partnership meeting between JMS and the Uganda Orthodox Medical Bureau (UOMB), which explored practical ways to improve service delivery, strengthen facility-level capacity and ensure that UOMB member facilities derive greater value from JMS services.
Recognising the importance of direct engagement in understanding customer needs, JMS committed to organising the first physical meeting with UOMB ’s member facilities, building on the Bureau’s existing virtual engagements. The meeting will give facilities an opportunity to engage directly with JMS, share operational challenges and identify solutions that improve access to essential health commodities and strengthen service delivery.
Dr. Sande, UOMB Executive Secretary, pledged to institutionalise quarterly meetings with JMS to review progress, address emerging challenges and identify opportunities for mutual benefit. This regular engagement will help strengthen coordination between JMS, the Bureau and its member facilities, enabling more responsive support and stronger customer relationships.
The partnership also presents an opportunity for UOMB facilities to benefit from the newly launched JMS Supply Chain Management and Resilience Transition (SMART) Project, which aims to strengthen health systems and improve supply chain performance. Through the project, Technical Representatives will provide on-site support to facilities across the country, helping address operational gaps, improve supply chain practices and strengthen the availability and management of essential health commodities.
Dr. Joanita Namutebi, JMS Director Supply Chain Services, appreciated UOMB ’s coordination role in linking JMS with its member facilities. She emphasised the need for timely donor reporting and accurate, quality data to strengthen accountability, inform decision-making and improve the planning and delivery of health supplies.
For JMS, the engagement reinforces its role beyond supplying medicines and medical products to strengthening the systems, partnerships and technical capacity that sustain health service delivery. Better coordination, reliable data and targeted on-site support can help facilities plan more effectively, manage commodities responsibly and improve access to essential health solutions.
