Equipment and consumables Assignment 1

This session we looked at how to acquire and manage equipment and consumables in your
laboratory network or laboratory. In the following assignment we ask you to use the insights
from today’s session to optimize supplies management.

Case study
Impact of not having an inventory management system

Scenario:
• A large reference laboratory asked for urgent reagents assistance.
Requested reagents were sent.

External laboratory assessment findings:

• During a follow-up mission in the program, the laboratory “stockroom”
was visited. Faced with the enormous stock observed, an inventory
was carried out during the mission.
Findings:
• An inventory had not been done for several years
• No one knew what was available in the stock room
• The urgently requested reagents were present, half of which were still
usable, the other half had expired
Outcomes:
• Increased reagent cost, time spent by the laboratory to contact donors,
time spent by donor’s office to order the reagents
• Loss of funds and time, roughly 3-week delay, meanwhile tests
stopped in the country

Activity

1. What conclusions can you make?

2. What do you think are the possible root causes?
3. What recommendations would you give to improve the situation for each
identified possible root cause?

Reply 3 Equipment and consumables Assignment:

 Q 1. What conclusions can you make?

Ans: Poor inventory management resulted in :

1. Increased reagent cost
2. Time waste
3. Loss of funds
4. Tests stopped in the country
Learning lesson is that proper inventory management according to quantity and date of
expiry is mandatory for good lab managemen.

Q2. What do you think are the possible root causes?

Ans: Possible causes:

1. Untrained/ unmotivated staff
2. Lack of internal audit/accountability
3. Staff shortage
4. Unorganized storage/ poor house keeping
5. Non computerized management
6. Lack of interest/ignorance from managers
7. Lack of coordination between managers and staff
8. Weak reward and award system

Q3. What recommendations would you give to improve the situation for each
identified possible root cause?

Ans: Following is recommended:

1. Motivation / training of Untrained/ unmotivated staff

2. Establishment of of internal audit/accountability
3. Staff shortage to be catered for if persists
4. Ensure proper storage/ house keeping
5. Make computerized management/inventory
6. Managers to make themselves responsible
7. Mech of coordination between managers and staff
8. To have a strong reward and award system.