West African Reproductive Health Commodity Security - Development of a Sub-Regional Coordinated Informed Buying System
During the Fifth Ordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Health Ministers, organized by the West African Health Organization (WAHO) in Accra, Ghana, in October 2004, the Ministers adopted a recommendation for WAHO to begin the implementation of an informati...
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| Format: | Other Health Study |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC
2013
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2005/01/16376129/west-african-reproductive-health-commodity-security-development-sub-regional-coordinated-informed-buying-system http://hdl.handle.net/10986/14891 |
| Summary: | During the Fifth Ordinary Meeting of the
ECOWAS Health Ministers, organized by the West African
Health Organization (WAHO) in Accra, Ghana, in October 2004,
the Ministers adopted a recommendation for WAHO to begin the
implementation of an information sharing system that would
enhance each country s ability to share and access product,
supplier, and pharmaceutical market information. At WAHO s
request, John Snow, Inc./DELIVER initiated this
implementation, beginning with the design. This report
summarizes DELIVER s findings. By starting with a well
researched and designed plan for implementation, the
Coordinated Informed Buying (CIB) system will better meet
the needs of the users, and, ultimately, be a tool to assist
the region in their efforts towards reproductive health
commodity security (RHCS). Nine out of the 15 ECOWAS
countries provided input, with more than 85 individuals
contributing to this design. Anecdotal information suggests
that sharing of various elements of pharmaceutical
procurement already occurs among countries in the region but
in an ad hoc or limited manner. A CIB system would
potentially capitalize on this kind of experience and build
a systematic strategy of regional coordination for
information sharing, and, ultimately, improve the buying
power for all involved. The overwhelming majority of key
informants indicated that a CIB system would be valuable
either directly or indirectly for national procurement
activities. Across the board, organizations and individuals
interviewed articulated the benefits that they perceived for
the country in having a CIB system in place. Notably,
managers said that the process of building the tool and
meeting as like-minded professionals to work as a region
would be as valuable as the tool itself. CIB was noted for
its potential to provide relevant information; that
information would help in understanding what specific health
commodity procurements are taking place in both the region
and bordering countries (versus the general indices of
prices). This document maps a plan for CIB implementation to
start first with available data and to make use of existing
infrastructure. For data collection, all countries should be
invited to share information and should also be invited to
use the CIB, regardless of whether a country provides
information (i.e., access to information should not be
restricted only to those who provide data). This paper
recommends that WAHO take the role of lead coordinator and,
prior to proceeding, a CIB System Manager situated at WAHO
should be identified to lead the process. |
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