The percent of service delivery points (SDPs) with adequate supplies of quality mineral and vitamin supplements at the time of data collection.

This indicator is calculated as:

(Number of SDPs with an adequate supply of quality mineral/vitamin supplements /  Total number of SDPs) x 100

Adequate supply is defined as availability of sufficient quantity and quality of mineral/vitamin supplements based on the needs of the client population served.  The basic mix of supplements will include iron and folic acid, vitamin A, iodine and zinc in forms ranging from tablets and drops to injectables.  Additional types may include vitamins B12 and D, calcium, and multiple vitamin and mineral supplement preparations.  Evaluators should calculate each type of supplement separately, because the frequency of doses and, therefore, the amount necessary depend on the type of supplement (i.e., daily or weekly iron/folate supplements vs. single postpartum dose of vitamin A) and because some products are more difficult to procure or store in a given country or setting (Gorstein et al., 2007).

To compute sufficient quantity, evaluators estimate the size of the catchment area and the subgroup within that area in potential need of each supplement.  Next, evaluators calculate the average quantity of each supplement needed per recipient in the target population for a specific reference period. This approach allows a crude calculation of the ‘sufficient quantity’ for each supplement relative to the client population served. There is no universally accepted standard for measuring adequate supplies; however, evaluators should consider the type of supplement, the frequency of supply, and the amount of supply available at the SDP when they define adequate quantities of supplies.

The quality of the mineral/vitamin supplement supply is acceptable if the supplements are:

•  Labeled properly (i.e., supplement name, volume, usage, dosage, medical contraindications, and expiration date)
•  Not expired
•  Stored under the recommended climatic and lighting conditions specified by the manufacturer

Examples of additional criteria for quality of specific supplements are:

•  Iron: Iron tablets and drops are considered acceptable if at least 90 percent of the tablets in the bottle are intact, and if any other recommendations from the manufacturer on proper storage are being followed.
• Vitamin A: The quality of vitamin A supplements is considered acceptable if supplements are stored away from light between 0°C and 30°C, and liquid vitamin A is discarded if it has been open for more than two months.