Strategy for Pooled Procurement of Essential Medicines and
Health Commodities, 2013-2017
8
Essential Medicines and Health Commodities.
The outputs of the drafting team have been reviewed by technical teams in the SADC Secretariat, including consultations
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and AIDS and Malaria programmes. Consensus on the development of the Strategy was achieved through consultations
with Member States, partners, private sector and civil society.
This publication presents the proposed Strategy under a series of headings, starting with the Introduction, which is
followed by the findings of the Situational Analysis. The Rationale for the proposed mechanism for pooled procurement
is then presented together with a section on the expected benefits for SADC. The Values and Principles, Vision, Purpose,
Strategic Objectives, and Results Framework are then outlined, and include an indicative budget and Institutional
Arrangements for Implementation of the Strategy. The final sections concern Monitoring & Evaluation and Resource
Mobilisation.
2. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
2.1
Introduction and approach
It is generally acknowledged that SADC Member States face challenges in ensuring the availability of quality and affordable
essential medicines. The economies of SADC Member States differ in size, with GDP per capita ranging from USD 291
(in the DRC) to USD 10 818 (in Seychelles) in 2010. The sizes of Member States’ populations also vary, from just over 72
million in the DRC to 87,000 in Seychelles, while the burdens of disease also differ in the region. These differences lead
to various types of strain on pharmaceutical markets, and on the availability and affordability of essential medicines.
There is a paucity of information in the region on the full extent of these challenges. Data gathering can be difficult in some
Member States, due to limitations in information management systems, a lack of harmonisation regarding treatment
guidelines, and a lack of standardisation in terms of procurement and payment systems. However, regional policies,
strategic interventions and decisions towards ensuring sustainable access to essential medicines must be evidencedbased. Using the available information from desk reviews and key information interviews with staff from pharmaceutical
policy, regulatory and central procurement agencies, the situational analysis was able to provide some information on the
availability of medicines, the products that are circulating in the region, current manufacturers and suppliers, prices that
Member States are paying for procurement, as well as on the registration and regulation of some medicines.
Information on the availability, prices and registration status of medicines was summarised from the 2010 Pharmaceutical
Market Analysis. It identified 50 tracer medicines and included medicines to treat malaria, TB, and HIV and AIDS, and
medicines for child and maternal health and non-communicable diseases. These tracer medicines are presented in the
Annex.
2.2
Problem analysis
From the situational analysis, eight key challenges in SADC PSM systems were identified.
1. Information on pharmaceutical procurement is not easily accessible in the SADC region. The level of transparency in
public and private pharmaceutical markets is also rather low:
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information at a price.
2. The average duration for which tracer items were found to be out of stock during a recent 12 months period varied
between 3% and 70%, which indicates that the availability of essential medicines varies considerably between Member
States. This information was available for Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Seychelles, Zambia and Zimbabwe.