The South African National Department of Health’s Affordable Medicine Directorate (AMD), through the relevant governance bodies, is responsible for supporting the selection of essential medicines for patients nationally, as well as making sure these medicines are accessible and available when and where they are required. Through the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Global Health Supply Chain Program – Technical Assistance (GHSC-TA), the AMD developed governance documents to inform a Medicine Master Data System (MMDS). The MMDS provides a set of master data for use in stock management, dispensing, and reporting systems.