Digitalization of business processes is an important step in creating a transparent and efficient medical supply system.
During the GovTech Summit in the Hague, Alona Zhuzha, deputy general manager on IT Development of the Medical procurement of Ukraine, spoke about IT tools which the MPU is developing to increase transparency at each stage of the procurement cycle and improve patients' access to the necessary information.
"Our IT infrastructure organically reflects the purchasing cycle and consists of three mutually complementary systems: MedData, MedSupply, and e-Stock. Patients are the heart of all our business processes. We are constantly working on improving access to medicines and medical devices that they can get at the hospital for free, and opening up information about purchases, supplies, and balances," shared Alona Zhuzha.
Speaking about the stage of collection and verification of the need, she emphasized that the need for medical goods in Ukraine is aggregated through the MedData information and analytical system, which was developed and administered by the team of the MPU.
"4.5 thousand hospitals submit their needs through regional health departments to the MedData system. MedData has programmed methods for many nosologies that minimize the risk of human error. At the same time, after the implementation of the e-Stock system, the collection of needs for all nosologies will be carried out directly from hospitals," said Alona Zhuzha.
The next stage, namely the procurement procedure, according to her, takes place through the Prozorro system: "The advantage of using the Prozorro system is complete openness of information - anyone can observe the procedures online. Information about the price, terms of contracts, and the name of the winner immediately becomes publicly available."
Alona Zhuzha added that further contract administration is envisaged in the MedSupply logistics process management system, where all supply management processes will be automated.
At the same time, Alona Zhuzha noted that the information about the approximate delivery schedule and the availability of drugs in hospitals is public and accessible to all stakeholders in the Telegram bot and the BI information system developed by the MPU`s team.
"With the help of these tools, we target different audiences. The Telegram bot is very simple, mainly used by patients to search for information about drug availability, delivery schedule, etc. For an older audience or those who do not have access to the Internet or Telegram, we have a support team that can be contacted via any messenger or by phone. A professional audience (patient organizations, journalists, etc.) use the BI system, in which more detailed information is available," concluded Alona Zhuzha.