Just over a week after Sierra Leone was declared Ebola free, our work on the fight against Ebola has been awarded two prestigious European Supply Chain Excellence Awards.

The collaborative effort of Crown Agents, IPA and DFID to stock and resupply the vital Ebola treatment centres (ETCs) and community care centres (CCCs) in Sierra Leone was recognised first with the International Operations award and then with the Public and Third Sector award. The work involved the development of rigorous supply chains and logistics solutions for all equipment needed for the ETCs and CCCs to provide effective isolation, treatment and protection for patients and the people treating them. The work started in September 2014 and has dominated our supply chain department during 2015. Sierra Leone was officially declared Ebola free on November 7 this year, 42 days after the last case of Ebola was reported.

Crown Agents Practice Lead for Health Supply Chain, Sian Rogers, said:

“The real celebration is that Sierra Leone is now officially Ebola free, but these awards are a very welcome recognition of all the vital behind-the-scenes work that went into the fight against the disease.

 

“A large part of the success of the work was the close collaboration between Crown Agents, IPA and DFID. The three organisations worked exceptionally well together to put together a world-class supply chain in the most challenging of circumstances. We’re grateful to everyone who contributed​ to this lifesaving work and are very pleased that the ESCE Awards have recognised that effort.”

Representatives from Crown Agents, DFID and IPA were on hand to collect the awards on Monday, November 16 at the ceremony held at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

Find out more about the Ebola response work here.