Publication: Tracking the Distribution of Medical Equipment and Supplies during the COVID-19 Health Emergency
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2024-12-10
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2024-12-10
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Argentina’s COVID-19 Emergency Project was among the first operations under the World Bank’s global response to the COVID-19 epidemic. The first of the two loans included under this Project was approved on April 2, 2020, just a few weeks after the country registered its first case of COVID-19. It provided support to Argentina’s health response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the strengthening of the national systems for public health preparedness. Having quick access to financial resources was particularly important in the context of Argentina, which was undergoing its worst economic crisis in almost 20 years. With a focus on early detection, containment and treatment, the operation helped ensured the country’s ability to purchase the medical equipment and supplies needed to respond to the surge in demand for treatment for COVID-19 patients despite tight fiscal restrictions. In addition to the financial support, the Bank also provided critical support to Argentina and other borrowing countries to ensure the timely procurement of essential medical equipment and supplies amidst interruptions in supply chains under the so-called Bank Assisted Facility. It also allowed the utilization of emergency procurement mechanisms that provided agility through direct contracting and/or streamlined competitive procedures, including under national procedures and existing framework contracts. These emergency procurement mechanisms were effective in ensuring a timely response to the urgent challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. To complement these emergency procurement mechanisms, the Bank Team responsible for this operation considered important to develop strong internal controls to ensure the full traceability of all goods purchased with the loan’s proceeds. A monitoring system for this purpose was jointly developed and implemented by the Bank Team and its counterparts at the National Ministry of Health (NMOH) This Brief summarizes the experience of designing and implementing such monitoring system, including its overall design, factors that facilitated or posed additional challenges for its implementation, the main results, as well as opportunities for further improvement.
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“Camporeale, Vanina; Arana, Leandro; Zanetta, Cecilia. 2024. Tracking the Distribution of Medical Equipment and Supplies during the COVID-19 Health Emergency. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/42522 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.”
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