Counterfeit stock and broken lead times sink field programs. Here is the supplier-vetting checklist we apply before any equipment ships.
The fastest way to sink a field program is not a clinical error — it is a procurement one. Counterfeit or substandard medical product, a supplier that vanishes mid-contract, or a lead time that lands the equipment after the campaign has all ended more deployments than any diagnostic failure.
Vetting starts with provenance: verified manufacturer, recognized prequalification (WHO PQS or equivalent regulatory listing) where it exists, and lot-level traceability. It continues with reliability: a supplier relationship that holds up under scrutiny and a lead time that fits the calendar of the response, not the catalog. For the full specification, see our guide to field equipment sourcing advisory.
Counterfeit defense deserves its own emphasis. A bargain from an unvetted source is a documented, sometimes lethal failure mode in global-health supply chains. The cheapest line item is frequently the most expensive decision on the manifest.
International Health Journal applies this checklist before any recommendation reaches a sourcing referral. The evaluation is editorial; the vetting is the firewall between a good spec and a bad shipment.