Strategic Fund Annual Report 2019. Improving Access to Quality Medicines and Health Technologies in the Americas

Abstract

In 2000, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) established the Strategic Fund to improve access to safe, efficacious, and high-quality medicines and other health supplies. This increased access would inevitably strengthen the efficiency and sustainability of public health systems in the Americas. The Strategic Fund is a regional technical cooperation mechanism for the pooled procurement of essential medicines and strategic health supplies. The Fund contributes to countries’ commitments to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by facilitating access to affordable, high-quality medicines, and other health technologies. The 2019 Annual Report of the PAHO Strategic Fund details the progress made possible through close technical cooperation. Because of the Fund’s effectiveness in facilitating enhanced supply chain management of critical public health supplies, we have signed participating agreements with 34 countries and territories and developed new partnerships with pivotal health agencies. Procurement volume through the PAHO Strategic Fund has increased by 81% compared to 2018, proving the Fund is an important mechanism to achieve health for all. Responding to the increasing needs of Member States, the Strategic Fund has negotiated long-term agreements for WHO-prequalified HIV/AIDS and cancer treatments at substantially reduced prices, spearheaded a joint initiative for cardiovascular diseases, and strengthened in-country capacity-building for demand forecasting and inventory management. These initiatives have directly provided treatments for over 7.5 million people in 2018 and 2019 and will enable millions more to access high-quality medicines, diagnostic kits and equipment, vector control materials, and other health supplies and technologies that remain affordable in the coming years.