Section III. MEDICAL MATERIEL SUPPORT SYSTEM
1-15. WHOLESALE LEVEL OF MEDICAL SUPPLY
a. Now, let us examine the organization of the medical materiel support system
at the wholesale level. As stated earlier, the DPSC, an element of the DLA manages
three main commodities. These commodities are: (1) subsistence (food), (2) clothing
and textiles, and (3) medical materiel. For each commodity, there is a directorate who
manages the worldwide supply of wholesale stocks.
b. The Directorate of Medical Materiel of DPSC coordinates very closely with the
DPSC Director of Procurement and Production to insure that medical materiel is
obtained from qualified sources. He is also assisted by and coordinates with two other
agencies outside of the Defense Personnel Support Center. These agencies are the
Defense Medical Standardization Board (DMSB) and the United States Army Medical
Materiel Agency (USAMMA)
c. The DMSB is located at the DOD level. This board is composed of the US
Army, USN, and US Air Force (USAF) Surgeons General, one of who is appointed as
chairman. The board operates as a single point of contact for all professional/technical
matters regarding medical materiel. This board establishes the essential standard$ for
medical items, monitors all type I complaints and reviews all other complaints for
medical materiel. It provides professional and technical advice to the Directorate of
Medical Materiel, DPSC.*
d. The USAMMA is an activity under the command of the US Army Surgeon
General. This agency performs supply management functions and Army customer
assistance services. This agency also coordinates with the DPSC and assists in
requirement computations for medical materiel. Its mission is to assist the Surgeon
General in the execution of his responsibility for management of medical materiel
programs for Army--wide support of Army health services.
e. Within the office of the Army's Surgeon General, the organizational elements
that plan and supervise the Army medical materiel program are the Logistics Division
and the Army Medical Department Materiel Technical Committee.
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*Medical materiel that has been determined by use or test to be harmful or defective to
the extent that use has or may cause death or illness is classified as Type I
defective or unsatisfactory medical materiel. The suspected item will be
suspended from issue and use. A complaint will be designated as type I only
by a medical or dental officer who is familiar with the details of the complaint.
Circumstances will be reported immediately to the DPSC by the most expeditious
means of communication, that is, telephone call or immediate message.
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