1.01. Introduction

Thank you for choosing mSupply.

Before you launch in (if you haven't already!), we suggest you plan to take the following steps.

Read the rest of this introduction.

Read the setup, tutorial and license chapters in this manual.

Please note that installation requires basic computer skills:

You need to be able to locate a file using the “open” and “save” windows.

If you are not sure, why not try, and email us if you get stuck.

mSupply is designed to handle the following tasks:

Recording quotations received from various suppliers in a way that makes for easy comparison of true cost prices.

Create tenders for suppliers to respond to.

Ordering (Purchasing) of items from a particular supplier, using actual usage figures to calculate the required quantities.

Entering of incoming goods into inventory.

Manufacturing items. That is, building new items from raw materials in your stock.

Tracking Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable

Issuing of invoices for customers, and recording the transaction against inventory.

Customers are able to order on-line via the internet, and can view stock status and the status of their orders.

Exporting purchase and invoice data for import into an accounting program.

Reporting on transactions and other data in almost any manner you want!

If you need help with installing mSupply please feel free to email us at info@msupply.org.nz

About this user guide

The latest and most authoritative version of this User Guide is located on-line at http://docs.msupply.org.nz/. You can export the chapter you're viewing in PDF format by clicking the export:pdf tab to the right. It may then be viewed off-line within Acrobat Reader or other PDF viewer. To obtain the whole user guide in PDF format, visit mSupply site

If you are reading a PDF version, it is likely that a more up-to-date version is available on-line.

The software is under constant development as new features and facilities are added. We strive to ensure that the user guide and the graphics that it contains reflect these developments, but occasionally you may find that there are differences between the program itself and the guide or its graphics, where the updating of the guide has not quite kept pace with the development of the software. These are usually of a minor nature, but should you have any difficulties, do please send us an e-mail with details of your problem. It should also be noted that with the considerable range of preferences and user permissions, a particular user's window may have features included or omitted (according to their preferences and their permissions) when compared with the screenshots appearing in the guide.

As mSupply is compatible with both Windows OS and Apple Mac OS, there is a mix of screenshots in the manual taken from each operating system.

About us

Sustainable Solutions was established in 2001 with the primary aim of supplying and supporting mSupply software in developing countries. We are committed to producing software that enables excellence in health care delivery. We take pride in looking after people who choose to use our services.

We are based in Kathmandu, Nepal

We can be contacted at:

email:info@msuppy.org.nz

or info@sussol.net

phone: +977 1 5548021,

fax: +1 (815)572-9431

post:

PO Box 8975, EPC 355,

Kathmandu,

Nepal

Please feel free to request more information.

Thanks

Juliet has always been encouraging and more, and has put up with me thinking about mSupply when I shouldn't have been.

This software grew out of necessity at the Medical Supply Department, Kathmandu, Nepal. We learnt a lot from Jaap Zijp's software “Bhandari”, and from the staff at MSD where mSupply was originally developed and tested.

Ujwal Khatry has stuck with Sustainable Solutions for ten years, including the startup period where our company name could well have been a misnomer.

Jim Staples of 4D inc. http://www.4D.com kindly arranged an initial donation of the superb development environment we use.

Thanks to those people in the 4D tech mailing list who have helped for no benefit to themselves.

John Ross, Pharmacist of Patan Hospital, Kathmandu, believed in the quality of mSupply enough to use it long before it was fully ready.

David Adams kindly donated his superb texts on 4D.

The moderators of the E-Drug mailing list have been gracious in letting us use that list for occasional announcements.

Copyright

mSupply software is copyright Sustainable Solutions, 2006, UMN/INF/Interserve 1996 to 1999. You may only use the software in accordance with the accompanying licence agreement.

Licence Agreement and Costs

Commercial users or any user wanting multi-user functionality enabled must obtain a licence from Sustainable Solutions.

Please view our web site http://www.msupply.org.nz for up-to-date pricing.

A free version of mSupply is available for Non-commercial use

You may use mSupply software in single user mode for free as long as it is used:

in an approved not-for-profit organisation

in a developing country.

Sustainable Solutions shall be the sole arbiter of those qualifying for free use.

All users (free and paid) must register with Sustainable Solutions to obtain a registration code. Information supplied will not be used for any purpose other than generation of registration code.

Users who have obtained a free licence number are not eligible for free support.

Please contact us for quotes regarding customised versions and installation and training packages.

Changes in recent versions

The mSupply version history is available here

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