CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 2 2022 11 Pioneer GPOModel Delivers AffordableMedicine up to that billing supporting various platforms, both local and global facing industry leading community of practice. Under Vinod’s tutelage, the MedSource Group implements a private-sector model striving to fill critical gaps in the pharmaceutical and allied healthcare products supply chain system related to pricing, pooled procurement of quality goods, use of technology, real-time data generation, visibility, expedited business- to-business brokerage, and transparent transactions. The African pharmaceutical market, the fastest growing globally, is expected to be worth US$70 billion by 2030. This rapid growth is fueled by; high rates of urbanization, growing health care capacity, availability of generic medicines to treat non-communicable diseases, policy changes that encourage business growth and an increased middle class spending power for quality healthcare solutions. Covid-19 epidemic has positioned the MedSource Group as a critical player in the ecosystem. Medical supplies related to Covid-19 prevention and control have been in high demand and have represented a considerable portion of MedSource’s overall product movement. Under Vinod’s leadership, MedSource expanded the availability of PPE (personal protective equipment), diagnostics, and therapeutics in their catalogue with over 900 assorted Covid treatment and management related items. Vinod has successfully nurtured the MedSource Group from the early stage business idea to a robust company that is now a scalable proof of concept raring to venture in select countries in Africa as part of her regional expansion. Concurrent with the heightened demand for Covid-19 related goods, there has been a tightening of credit facilities to MedSource’s distributors and members. MedSource’s novel concept of inventory financing scheme e-wallet has provided a much-needed safety net to members otherwise impacted by reduced access to credit and supplies. Covid-19 has made it more imperative that MedSource scale quickly. In effect, MedSource uses procurement volume to negotiate discounted prices with suppliers, thereby reducing costs while distributing the savings to members and ultimately the patients. Patients consequently, can count on price reductions of between 10-30% for the improved access to quality, affordable medicines devoid of counterfeits. To anchor sustainability in the member business operations, Vinod has steered strategic partnerships to build the capacity 1400 plus pharmacy technicians skilling and upskilling them to execute their functions effectively countrywide. Vinod Guptan has built up credibility as highly respected industry captain, attributing his impeccable credentials in the health care industry. Vinod has positively shaped the enactment of transformative reforms in the industry. Vinod serves in strategic policy influencing public-private partnership platforms notably; as the Vice Chairman of The Kenya Association of Pharmaceutical Industry, the Kenya Private Sector Alliance. In addition, Vinod serves as the Kenya Healthcare Federation (KHF) as a Board Director & Chairman of the Supply Chain Committee. In an operating context where counterfeit medicine and pharmaceutical products are sneaked in the market and they pose a great danger to the patient’s wellbeing, MedSource is strategically positioned partnering with the government to address these loopholes. MedSource Group is a B2B model whose some of the distinct advantages of trading from the platform are the guaranteed traceability (track and trace) of products and transactions is safeguarded. Meanwhile, members such as hospitals, pharmacies and dispensaries benefit from MedSource’s Group innovative platform, capacity- building programs, access to competitors’ prices, transparency from purchase to receipt of goods, and access to both credit and transaction data. The Enterprise Resource Planning platform has over 15,000 medicines and pharmaceutical products adding to over 45,000 SKUs (Stock Keeping Units). As the CEO, Vinod takes pride in having a formidable, highly experienced team to manage day- to-day operations for the company whose collective skillsets range from Finance, Credit Vetting and Management, Supply Chain, Health, Biomedicine, Insurance, ICT, marketing and sales, information systems. As a firm believer in the paramount importance of ethical business and the Sustainable Development Goals, Vinod Guptan has steered MedSource Group to being part of the United Nations Global Compact and the Blue Company. Vinod takes pride in the ever- increasing base of professionals he has mentored in the industry this runs into hundreds across different continents. Some of the manufacturing and supply chain firms Vinod has worked with are Surgipharm Limited, Abacus Pharma, Harleys Limited, Claris Lifesciences and Core Healthcare Limited spanning a career of almost 3 decades. As a believer in pursuing excellence Vinod recently underwent training in the Effective Board Programme at Strathmore University, Nairobi. Globally the MedSource operations in Kenya are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and at the national level the Kenya’s Vision 2030 cascading to the roll out of the Universal Health Coverage as part of the Big 4 agenda. Company: MedSource’s Group Limited Contact: Vinod Guptan Email:
[email protected] Website: https://medsource-group.com/ MedSource team MedSource Group photo