Medicine distribution in Morocco: Swiss technology to cure the sector’s ills

So what is this new system?

Sami Zerelli, President of the CCSM, described it as a small technological revolution that will help overcome the challenges of a sector he knows very well: medicines. SMSer is a project that aims to overcome one of the greatest difficulties faced by NGOs and governments in managing medical supplies, particularly during humanitarian crises. Not only does it provide greater visibility of stocks and of the consumption of medical supplies by the end client, but it is also a system for the remote management of medical supply stocks in dispensaries, using smartphones and data transmission via GSM. “It is a project that has delivered satisfactory results in Lebanon, which is experiencing the major humanitarian crisis of hosting millions of Syrian refugees”, says Prof. Maurizio Caon, SMSer Project Manager at HES-SO. In practical terms, the system takes the form of a digital stock management platform, accessible from all modern telephone and digital devices, which also makes it possible to analyse needs with a view to possible preventive procurement.

SMSer in Morocco

While the NGOs mobilised in the Lebanese refugee crisis now attest to its effectiveness, the project team aims to transfer this know-how and share the lessons learned in Lebanon with other French-speaking countries. It was with this objective in mind that the meeting was organised, providing an opportunity to present the solution to the various stakeholders in the health sector in Morocco. And the adventure does not stop there; it concerns government agencies and NGOs as well as start-ups. Indeed, the various organisations represented on 9 December expressed the value of testing this “made in Switzerland” solution in Morocco to gain a better understanding of the circulation of medicines in Morocco. Watch this space!