From paper records to real-time decision
How digital tools are strengthening vaccine supply chains in Zambia
MONGU District, Western Province, September 2026 -- For Hankope Maulu, knowing whether a health facility had enough vaccines once meant phone calls, handwritten records and repeated follow-ups. As Provincial Logistician for Western Province, he relied on paper reports to determine vaccine stock levels across districts and health facilities.
Because information on vaccines stock was not immediately available, identifying shortages and arranging redistribution often took a lot of time.
Today, Maulu can increasingly access this information with just a click.
Before the Electronic Logistics Management Information System (eLMIS) was introduced, vaccine management relied on paper records to track deliveries, distribution, stock counts and reports.
“Before eLMIS, vaccine stock status at lower levels could only be known if a call to the facility or a physical visit was done,” he says.
With eLMIS, vaccine stock information can now be accessed electronically, giving supply chain managers a clear picture of stock levels and helping them act quickly when needed.
Maulu describes the change simply:
Everything is now done at the click of a button.
For Maulu, the biggest change is the speed at which decisions can now be made.
“Since there is improved stock data visibility, decisions like vaccine redistribution, resupplying lower levels and ordering from National Vaccine Stores are done faster,” Maulu says.
In vaccine management, timing is essential. Early visibility of shortages helps prevent stock-outs and allows managers to quickly identify facilities that need additional supplies.
For Maulu, this marks an important shift. Rather than waiting for information, he can now act on it, helping ensure vaccines are available when children arrive for immunization. The link is simple: better information leads to better decisions, helping keep vaccines available and more children protected from preventable diseases.
Zambia's investment in eLMIS is part of broader efforts to build a stronger and more resilient immunization supply chain across the country. The system helps health workers and managers track vaccine stocks, monitor storage conditions and plan more effectively to ensure vaccines remain available from central stores to the last mile.
It also helps identify where vaccines are needed most, reduce wastage and support faster action when stock levels are running low.
These efforts are led by the Ministry of Health with support from UNICEF and financing from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
As of 1 September 2026, 305 of 382 targeted facilities had been onboarded onto eLMIS, 300 users had been trained, and 12 of Western Province's 16 districts were actively using the system.
Maulu was among the provincial logisticians who, together with cold chain focal point persons and ICT officers from across Zambia, received training on vaccine and cold chain management and the use of digital systems to manage vaccine supplies.
As more facilities and health workers adopt eLMIS, timely information is already helping speed up decision-making, strengthen accountability and keep vaccines available where they are needed most, helping more children receive lifesaving protection through immunization.
