Minimizing COVID-19 disruption: Ensuring the supply of essential health products for health emergencies and routine health services

Abstract

Leveraging economies of scale and scope through multi-country pooled procurement enables countries to increase access to quality affordable essential medicines and supplies that meet priority health objectives as well as effectively respond to health emergencies. Strategic partnerships and tools can minimize supply chain disruptions and streamline procurement and deployment in health emergencies, thus mitigating stockouts and ensuring cost efficiencies across various therapeutic areas, including for public health programs at a time when countries may struggle to meet complex needs. As a means to better respond to health emergencies while maintaining priority public health programs, countries should optimize usage of pooled procurement mechanisms facilitated by multilateral technical cooperation and other regional mechanisms, such as the Pan American Health Organization's Strategic Fund. Because few analyses have assessed the role of such regional procurement mechanisms, this Health Policy paper evaluates the key areas of impact of the PAHO Strategic Fund and concludes with lessons learned to help prepare for future health crises while maintaining essential health services.

Keywords: Americas; COVID-19; Caribbean; Emergency response; Essential medicines; Global health governance; Health equity; Health financing; Health policy; Health security; Health supply chain; Health system resilience; Latin America; Medical countermeasures; Pandemic preparedness; Pooled procurement; Primary health care; Universal health coverage.