Supply Chain Integration and Inventory Control as Drivers of Medical Supply Chain Performance in Tanzania: Moderation by Information Technology

Abstract

Reliable medical supply chains are critical to Tanzania's progress toward universal health coverage, yet public facilities continue to experience stockouts, delays, and waste. Grounded in the Resource-Based View, this study examines how Supply Chain Integration and Inventory Control shape Medical Supply Chain Performance and whether Information Technology conditions those effects. An explanatory cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare workers in public health centres and dispensaries in Songwe Region (n = 289), using validated Likert scales and estimating a variance-based structural equation model. Results show that Supply Chain Integration and Inventory Control are associated with higher Medical Supply Chain Performance, while Information Technology exerts the strongest direct influence. Information Technology also amplifies the payoff from Supply Chain Integration but attenuates the benefit of traditional inventory routines when they are not IT-aligned. Theoretically, the findings extend the Resource-Based View by identifying Information Technology as a platform resource that complements integration (co-specialization) and sets boundary conditions for inventory capabilities. Managers and policymakers should strategically embed Information Technology across supply chain functions by strengthening system interoperability, institutionalizing Information Technology-driven inventory governance (parameter tuning, FEFO enforcement, removal of duplicative paper processes), and investing in user capability and data stewardship to secure durable performance gains in the medical supply chain.