In Bukedea and four other districts in eastern and northern Uganda, a digital system launched by UNFPA tracks contraceptive supplies to avoid stock-outs and waste. DrugDash is a mobile app and web tool that generates and shares information on supplies across health facilities in real-time, eliminating frequent errors under the previous, laborious system of record-keeping on paper. With the latest numbers at their fingertips on a tablet, people can make more accurate and timely decisions about how to redistribute contraceptives.

“With DrugDash, I can see where there is a need even before [health facilities] communicate it to us. That used to not happen,” explained Bamulikulwaki Ezera, who supervises medicine supplies for Bulambuli District. “It has helped managers in monitoring their stock and taking action based on the data.”

The system was the result of a UNFPA Innovation Fund-sponsored global innovation challenge to ensure rights and choices, part of an organization-wide drive to deliver better services and end unmet need for family planning. The goal: Solve issues that prevent a consistent supply of contraceptives from reaching outlying areas.

Initially, DrugDash was rolled out in 56 facilities in the five districts. Within a few months, 80 per cent had reported improvements in ordering and distributing family planning supplies. Nearly 60 per cent had avoided stock-outs or expired supplies. And better supplies of barrier methods like condoms spurred a 37 per cent increase in use in six months. The system will eventually be expanded to track other reproductive health commodities like maternal health medicines.