PAHO Strategic Fund minimizes disruption of critical medications and supplies during COVID-19
Washington, DC, 31 August, 2020 – As the COVID-19 pandemic moves swiftly across the globe, many countries and territories across the Americas region had little time to prepare for its far-reaching impacts. The shuttering of major commercial airlines used to transport medications and supplies, swift national lockdowns that restricted the timely production of key pharmaceutical ingredients, disruptions to supply chains within countries – all significantly complicated the delivery of vital health products during a time when health services are needed the most.
To support Member States during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) through the Strategic Fund for Essential Medicines and Public Health Supplies facilitated procurement of critical products and minimized supply chain disruptions by working with three key stakeholder groups – regional and national health authorities, technical experts, and suppliers.
First, the Strategic Fund worked with procurement specialists and national agencies to initiate a holistic assessment of the inventory situation across the region. This allowed partners in-country to gauge which medications and supplies faced minimal risk of being stocked-out and which were running low and should be prioritized. Once an accurate inventory situation was available, a regional analysis was conducted to identify product surpluses that could be shared between countries. By enabling regional visibility of stocks, the Strategic Fund facilitated horizontal donations and loans of lifesaving medications and supplies between Member States, with countries able to efficiently and equitably lend needed products to one another. This action allowed better distribution of strategic safety stocks available in the PAHO Regional Warehouse in Panama for malaria, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis.
Second, technical experts at the national, regional, and PAHO headquarters level were engaged to help identify alternative treatment protocols based on the inventory situation. This allowed for timely adjustment of recommended medications and supplies that could feasibly be delivered despite restricted supply chains, while ensuring that quality, safety, and efficacy were not compromised. As a result, millions of people across the Americas were able to sustainably meet their health needs during COVID-19 without the risk of preventable diseases going untreated, including sustaining HIV antiretrovirals and tuberculosis medications.
Third, the Strategic Fund reached out to suppliers to better plan deliveries and shipments through expanded supply chain options. Through this technical cooperation, PAHO was able to work with suppliers to better utilize safety stocks by uniting distributors across diverse networks and expediting deliveries by identifying alternate transportation modes between air freight and ocean freight based on cost-effectiveness and timeliness.
By implementing rapid, innovative, and proactive measures to mitigate the disruption of COVID-19 on healthcare supply chains in the Region of the Americas, the PAHO Strategic Fund demonstrated resilience during this public health emergency. The leveraging of long-standing partnerships between national authorities, technical experts, and suppliers during the crisis meant PAHO was able to support its commitment to maintain ongoing routine health services.
PAHO Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, has urged countries to “reengineer how essential care is delivered and invest in the first level of care” in order to effectively adapt to the new situation brought about by COVID-19. The PAHO Strategic Fund demonstrates that this level of adaptability and flexibility is not only possible but required to better support health systems in the 21st century – and it serves as an example of “walking the talk” to deliver on universal health.
