Transforming the health logistics landscape with OpenLMIS: 2024 in retrospective

OpenLMIS is a continuously growing initiative, always seeking new improvements and striving to provide more health logistics possibilities for its users. As a part of the OpenLMIS Core Team, we actively participate in the application development as well as its implementations. 2024 was marked with many achievements and we are happy to summarize them for you in this article.

Transforming the health logistics landscape with OpenLMIS

OpenLMIS is an open-source logistics management software dedicated to support health supply chains, especially in the underserved parts of the world. Actively used in multiple countries across Africa, OpenLMIS helps to manage all crucial processes involved in ensuring the efficient distribution of medical supplies. It streamlines inventory tracking, reduces stockouts, and facilitates accurate forecasting of supply needs. By automating workflows and providing real-time data, OpenLMIS improves decision-making and resource allocation, ensuring that health facilities are well-stocked with essential medicines and equipment.  

For health providers, this translates to fewer disruptions in service delivery, enabling them to focus on patient care rather than logistics challenges. Patients, in turn, benefit from consistent access to life-saving treatments and medications, ultimately contributing to better health outcomes and increased trust in healthcare systems.

SolDevelo’s contribution to the OpenLMIS’ growth

We’ve been actively engaged in the growth of OpenLMIS for many years now, taking care of the new releases, developing new features, implementing various enhancements, and continuously  maintaining the system along with its existing deployments.

One of our main principles on this journey has been a custom approach to each and every implementation, which is especially needed in technologically challenged areas, struggling with low internet connectivity and a limited number of tech-savvy specialists. To battle these and many other issues, we look at each implementation separately, giving it our full attention and coming up with solutions to the specific problems that it’s facing. It gives us a unique opportunity to work closely with local teams and learn more about their hopes and worries. Using this information, we can fulfill our role of a solution provider and an implementation partner more effectively.

This custom approach reflected in our work throughout 2024, time and time again guiding us on a path from challenge to solution. With this guidance, we successfully delivered a number of developments, all designed to improve the app’s usability, accessibility and quality.

Many of the 2024 successes wouldn’t be possible without our amazing partners that trusted and supported us in our efforts:

dp world health logistics openlmis
vitalliance health logistics openlmis
path
digital square health logistics openlmis
bill melinda gates
usaid health logistics openlmis
villagereach health logistics openlmis
angola health logistics openlmis
the gambia health logistics openlmis
eswatini health logistics openlmis
nigeria health logistics openlmis

Supporting health supply chains across Africa 

2024 was full of exciting new projects and valuable opportunities that allowed us to share our solutions with more people. We worked with teams in multiple countries, learning about the local needs and struggles, and coming up with new ways to address them.

OpenLMIS in Angola

We partnered with VillageReach to enhance the OpenLMIS implementation in Angola, addressing critical needs in the country’s healthcare supply chain. VillageReach, a global non-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare in low-resource settings, collaborated with us under USAID’s Global Health Supply Chain Program. This initiative aims to improve supply chain efficiency and ensure that essential medical commodities reach underserved populations.

Our work in Angola focused on adapting OpenLMIS to local needs by:

  • Developing new features for greater flexibility and usability.
  • Integrating local systems to ensure seamless operation.
  • Improving performance to enhance reliability and scalability.

These efforts included advancements in product viewing options, supplier management, stock handling processes, and facility-level inventory management, all designed to support more effective healthcare supply chain operations.

We’ve also prepared comprehensive documentation and user manuals to support administrators and end-users. These resources empower local teams to manage and maintain the system effectively. The enhancements we delivered streamlined supply chain operations, improved user experience, and increased system reliability. 

As a result, OpenLMIS Angola now better supports the country’s healthcare delivery goals, with scalable solutions that align with international standards and local needs, marking a significant step forward in strengthening Angola’s health supply chain infrastructure.

OpenLMIS in The Gambia

This year we also began supporting the implementation of OpenLMIS in The Gambia in collaboration with Vitalliance, DP World, and The Gambia’s Ministry of Health. This ambitious project aims to enhance the usability of the OpenLMIS solution and scale it nationwide, with work planned across three key phases: initiation, reporting enhancements, and maintenance, continuing through 2026.

Initiation Phase:

  • Established a strong foundation for the system by reviewing configurations, resolving gaps, and ensuring the production server adhered to best practices for stability and security.
  • Upgraded The Gambia’s system to OpenLMIS version 3.17, making it the first country to implement this update.
  • Enhanced the SuperSet reporting instance to prepare for the reporting-focused phase.

Reporting Enhancements Phase:

  • Delivered key national-level reports.
  • Improved the user interface for better clarity and usability.

Now in the maintenance phase, we are providing real-time monitoring and support to ensure the system continues to meet the needs of its users.

OpenLMIS in Eswatini

We proudly expanded our support for OpenLMIS to Eswatini, partnering again with DP World, Vitalliance, and Eswatini’s Ministry of Health. This project aims to introduce OpenLMIS enhancements that would ensure the system meets the needs of local healthcare providers and administrators. By improving accessibility and adaptability, we continue to deliver impactful solutions for healthcare supply chains in low-resource settings.

Our work began with a comprehensive audit of the existing OpenLMIS instance in Eswatini, evaluating its configuration and alignment with best practices. This foundational review helped identify challenges and opportunities for improvement, setting the stage for tailored enhancements. Currently, we are focused on the maintenance phase, which includes training the Ministry of Health’s team, supporting integrations with systems like CMIS and Navision, and maintaining and enhancing the application to align with local needs. We are also preparing Eswatini for a seamless transition to the latest version of OpenLMIS.

Workshops for Eswatini

A key highlight of this initiative has been the workshops we conducted for Eswatini teams and end-users. These workshops equipped participants with the knowledge and confidence to operate OpenLMIS effectively in their daily work. The training included both administrator and end-user training, sharing information on system management, system configuration, data handling, as well as essential processes like stock management and requisition workflows. Feedback from participants was positive, with many appreciating the clarity of the training and our team’s readiness to address their questions.

Visiting Nigeria

One of the more inspiring opportunities of 2024 was our visit to Nigeria. Our team, supported by partners Vitalliance and DP World, went there to deepen our understanding of OpenLMIS’s impact and to participate in the Global Health Supply Chain Summit 2024. Thanks to the invitation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we had the chance to exchange insights, engage with local stakeholders, and explore ways to strengthen supply chain management in the region.

A collaborative exchange

OpenLMIS was implemented in Nigeria in 2021 to address challenges like high operational costs, limited usability, and insufficient functionality in previous systems. With these priorities in mind, local specialists have been customizing OpenLMIS to better align with Nigeria’s unique needs. As part of the OpenLMIS Core Team, we were honored to support these efforts by sharing our experience and learning about their challenges.

During our visit, we had a chance to meet with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency representatives. Together, we:

  • Reviewed Nigeria’s customizations and shared updates from the latest OpenLMIS 3.18 release.
  • Explored challenges, local enhancements, and ways to incorporate these advancements into the global OpenLMIS ecosystem.
  • Discussed Nigeria’s digital health strategy and identified areas for further improvement.

Our conversations revealed the impressive strides Nigeria has made in tailoring OpenLMIS to its specific needs, offering valuable insights that could benefit implementations worldwide.

To gain first-hand experience, we also visited key facilities. Seeing OpenLMIS streamline processes and make a real difference in the lives of healthcare professionals and patients was incredibly inspiring.

Insights from the Global Health Supply Chain Summit

At the Global Health Supply Chain Summit 2024 in Lagos, we gained a broader perspective on the challenges and innovations shaping health supply chains. Sessions on topics like eLMIS implementations, cold chain equipment management, and data analysis provided valuable information on addressing real-world supply chain issues.

Beyond the technical sessions, the Summit was a celebration of culture, where we enjoyed Nigerian cuisine and performances by local artists. These experiences deepened our connection to the community and reinforced our commitment to creating impactful solutions.

Improving OpenLMIS 

Apart from supporting specific implementations, we also made sure to use our skills and experience in various technical areas to help improve OpenLMIS’ quality. We tested security, worked on performance, and developed new features to raise accessibility. 

Penetration testing to eliminate security vulnerabilities

One of the initiatives we took on was conducting a comprehensive OpenLMIS penetration testing to enhance the software security. With its critical role in managing health supply chains and handling sensitive data, ensuring the platform is effectively protected was paramount.

We took a thorough, multi-angle approach to uncover potential vulnerabilities. By combining automated scanning with in-depth manual testing, we identified risks that could compromise system operations or expose sensitive information. Additionally, we reviewed system configurations to ensure adherence to security best practices.

The results of our efforts were significant. We provided a list of recommendations on how to fix the issues found during our testing and prevent them from recurring. We also worked on improving encryption and securing system configurations, reducing risks such as session hijacking and unauthorized data access. To ensure ongoing protection, we enhanced the platform’s logging and monitoring capabilities, enabling the team to detect and respond to potential threats in real time.

This project was a key step in our commitment to delivering secure and reliable solutions, ensuring that OpenLMIS remains a trusted tool for global health initiatives.

Performance improvement for better user experience

We have also transformed the import functionality in OpenLMIS, delivering a stunning 90% performance improvement. This upgrade means users can now access crucial data faster and complete tasks more efficiently, significantly enhancing their experience with the system.

The improvements focused on streamlining how data was processed, reducing delays, and eliminating inefficiencies. What once took over 15 minutes to complete now finishes in under a minute. This change not only saves valuable time for users and administrators but also boosts the overall reliability of the system.

By making the import feature faster and more efficient, we’ve helped OpenLMIS better support its mission of enabling effective and timely decision-making for health programs. These enhancements ensure the platform can handle growing demands while maintaining top-notch performance.

Right-to-left language support for higher accessibility

As part of a broader project aimed at enhancing the accessibility of digital health solutions, we worked alongside PATH and Digital Square to expand the global reach of OpenLMIS. It resulted in yet another achievement – we’ve introduced right-to-left (RTL) language support to OpenLMIS, making the platform more accessible and inclusive for Arabic-speaking users and other RTL language communities. This change allows OpenLMIS to seamlessly switch between left-to-right and right-to-left layouts, ensuring users have an intuitive experience no matter the language.

With these updates, we’ve taken a significant step toward enhancing inclusivity, ensuring that OpenLMIS can serve a wider audience and support diverse linguistic needs in the global health community.

Reflecting on 2024: A year of growth and impact

We closed 2024 on a positive note, proud of the milestones achieved through our work with OpenLMIS. This year, we supported implementations in Angola, The Gambia, and Eswatini, tailoring the platform to meet local challenges while improving supply chain efficiency and accessibility. We also enhanced OpenLMIS with critical updates, such as performance improvements, right-to-left language support, and strengthened security through comprehensive penetration testing.

These efforts resulted in more reliable systems, streamlined processes, and empowered local teams to deliver better healthcare services. Through workshops, technical upgrades, and on-site collaboration, our contributions have helped ensure that essential medical supplies reach those who need them most.

None of this would have been possible without the dedication of our partners and the hard work of our team. Together, we’ve made a meaningful impact on global health supply chains, and we’re excited to continue this important journey in the years ahead.

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