The Democratic Republic of Congo has launched a pilot digital platform designed to improve the tracking and management of medicines and vaccines across its health system, in a move aimed at strengthening supply chains and reducing stock shortages.
The system, known as LOGIMEV, was introduced in Kinshasa as part of a broader effort to modernise health logistics and improve real-time access to data across national medical programmes.
Developed on the OpenLMIS platform with support from international partners, the system is intended to enhance visibility of drug and vaccine stocks throughout the country’s fragmented and often difficult-to-access health infrastructure.
Officials say the initiative represents a significant step toward digitising the country’s health supply chain and improving decision-making at all administrative levels.
“The aim is to progressively build an integrated system capable of providing reliable, real-time logistics data to support decision-making at every level of our health system,” said Body Ilonga during the launch.
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Pilot phase in two provinces
The pilot phase will initially be deployed in Kinshasa and Maniema provinces before being expanded nationwide.
The system is designed to track 154 essential health products across 14 national health programmes, including the Expanded Programme on Immunisation.
Authorities say this will allow health managers to better monitor availability, anticipate shortages and improve distribution efficiency, particularly for vaccines and essential medicines.
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Addressing long-standing supply chain weaknesses
The initiative comes amid persistent challenges in DR Congo’s health system, where logistical constraints, geographic size and limited infrastructure have often contributed to stock-outs and uneven access to medical supplies.
Health officials and development partners say weak supply chain visibility has long been one of the main obstacles to delivering consistent healthcare services, especially in remote and conflict-affected areas.
International organisations supporting the project include Gavi, UNICEF, VillageReach and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), which have been working with the government to strengthen immunisation systems and medical logistics.
Part of wider health system reform
LOGIMEV is embedded in the National Health Development Plan 2024–2033, which prioritises modernisation of health infrastructure, data systems and service delivery tools.
Authorities hope that digitisation will not only improve stock management but also enhance coordination between health programmes, reduce wastage and increase accountability in the distribution of medical products.
The World Health Organization has repeatedly highlighted supply chain weaknesses as a major barrier to healthcare access across parts of Africa, where medicine shortages and distribution inefficiencies remain common.
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Towards a data-driven health system
Officials say the long-term goal is to create an integrated national platform capable of providing real-time logistics data across the entire health system, enabling faster and more informed decision-making.
If successfully scaled, the system could improve vaccine availability, strengthen epidemic response capacity and reduce delays in medicine delivery to health facilities across the country.
Authorities say the rollout reflects a broader continental trend toward digital health transformation, as African countries increasingly adopt data-driven systems to improve public health outcomes and system resilience.
