PAHO's Regional Revolving Funds: A health cooperation success story

Abstract

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)’s Regional Revolving Funds (RRFs) are technical cooperation mechanisms that enable the Americas to equitably and timely access quality vaccines, essential medicines, and public health supplies. When countries work together, they achieve benefits for all: through pooled procurement and planning their demand together, Member States obtain affordable prices, securing around 50% in savings for vaccines and public health supplies; benefitting around 180 million people in the past two years alone. PAHO’s RRFs comprise the Revolving Fund for Access to Vaccines and the Strategic Fund for Public Health Supplies. The RRFs are key to the Americas’ impressive record of addressing public health demands by responding rapidly, implementing critical interventions for access to health technologies, and supporting disease elimination. The Funds’ product portfolio includes medicines for communicable and noncommunicable diseases as well as neglected diseases; diagnostic kits and medical equipment such as rapid tests for HIV, malaria, leishmaniasis and more; vector control supplies such as insecticides and long-lasting insecticidal nets; and vaccines and related supplies such as safety boxes, immunoglobulins, and cold chain equipment. The RRFs have also contributed to the introduction of new health supplies in countries, as well as the response to recent health emergencies such as COVID-19 and mpox. Moreover, the Funds are central to achieving the renewed Disease Elimination Initiative’s targets.