Publication: Tracking the Distribution of Medical Equipment and Supplies during the COVID-19 Health Emergency
Loading...
Published
2024-12-10
ISSN
Date
2024-12-10
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
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.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“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.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Remarks During Press Call on 100 Countries Milestone for COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Emergency Health Support(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-05-19)David Malpass, President of the World Bank, discussed the severe health and economic impacts that the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and shut down have inflicted on developing countries. The World Bank Group’s goal was to provide rapid, flexible responses to developing countries. That’s a way to protect the poorest, by providing cash and other expandable support on debt, also to maintain the private sector and bolster the economic recovery. He announced that the World Bank Group will finance emergency programs in 100 countries - that’s home to 70 percent of the world’s population. The programs are tailored to the countries to effectively respond to the health, economic, and social shocks that that country are facing. On May 1 the Bank marked the start of an official bilateral debt payment suspension for International Development Association (IDA) countries, those that request forbearance. It is an initiative launched with the International Monetary Fund (IMF’s) Managing Director in March and it was quickly endorsed by the G20 countries.Publication Starting from Scratch in Timor-Leste : Establishing a Pharmaceutical and Medical Supplies System in a Post-Conflict Context(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2009-06)This case study analyses the challenges of establishing a pharmaceutical and medical supplies system in a Timor-Leste post-conflict context. In the aftermath of its separation from Indonesia, the Timor-Leste health infrastructure was in total disarray, with more than a third of health facilities destroyed, and those remaining severely damaged. The crisis in human resources was severe, as more than 80 percent of qualified public-sector staff had returned to Indonesia. The resultant heavy dependence on expatriates was complicated by language incompatibility, and nationals were not well integrated into planning and implementation processes, as an entire public sector infrastructure was being established de nouveau. Despite the fledgling status of the public sector, a sophisticated organizational framework was envisioned for the establishment of the health sector supply system: an autonomous agency that would be a non-profit wholesaler or revolving drug fund and a public sector monopoly. The case study reviews the development of the policy and legal framework for the pharmaceutical sector, and the key phases of the commodity supply system, including: product selection through an essential drugs list; procurement hampered by use of procedures that were not appropriate for purchasing drugs for an entire country; the establishment of a centralized warehousing and distribution system; projected financing of the supply system through development of a business plan for the autonomous agency. In its exploration of the transition from post-conflict situation to health system development, the case study identifies lessons that are broadly applicable to foreign aid and external assistance in other contexts, including the tendency to 'poly-prescribe' overly ambitious and overly sophisticated solutions not pragmatically grounded in the current realities of public sector institutional and human resource constraints and capabilities.Publication Private Sector Pharmaceutical Supply and Distribution Channels in Africa : A Focus on Ghana, Malawi and Mali(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011-08)Sustainable access to affordable, high-quality medicines is an important component in all health care systems but remains limited in many African countries. Supply and distribution of medicines are a fundamental aspect of the success of any health system. Disruptions to this supply undermine health outcomes as supply chains have an impact on the availability, cost, and quality of medicines for patients. Common problems associated with the supply and distribution of pharmaceuticals often include poor supply chain management, stock pilfering, insufficient human resources, and limited financing resulting in chronic stock outs. In resource-poor settings where public services fail to meet demand, the private and voluntary sectors are increasingly being called on, prompting some policy makers to consider private mechanisms as alternatives to state-run drug procurement and distribution systems. This study reviews some of the ways in which some countries in Africa organize their private pharmaceutical supply and distribution channels, focusing on three diverse countries: Ghana, Malawi, and Mali. It discusses some of the strengths and challenges associated with such arrangements, as well as relevant options to improve access, availability, quality and affordability of privately supplied pharmaceuticals.Publication Kenya Medical Supplies Authority : A Case Study of the Ongoing Transition from an Ungainly Bureaucracy to a Competitive and Customer-Focused Medical Logistics Organization(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-04)The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) is a state-owned health logistics service company with the core mandate to procure, warehouse and distribute healthcare commodities to public sector health facilities and other public sector customers. Since the inception of KEMSA in 2000 there have been multiple projects and initiatives to improve the performance of KEMSA. However, despite these efforts, and until recently KEMSA had struggled to effectively demonstrate any sustained improvements in performance. In the last 3-4 years, KEMSA under its new leadership has shown sustained improvements in performance, accountability and transparency. In the last year, the Government of Kenya has embarked on the devolution of health financing to the counties to ensure that services are delivered effectively and efficiently to communities. The devolution has resulted in a significant change in the way KEMSA receives monies for carrying out its activities. Of particular relevance is that the devolution has led to ordering and payment for drugs and health commodities by counties. This required KEMSA to reconfigure its business model to serve the 47 counties in Kenya as its customers. The World Bank, through its Health Sector Support Project (HSSP), capitalized KEMSA in order to meet working capital needs that would arise under the new devolved system of financing. Competitive pressures arising from devolution and the new business model, a new management structure with strong leadership and governance, technical support from development partners such as the World Bank and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and greater flexibilities arising from KEMSA s change of status to a public authority together are converging to create a new KEMSA. It is an opportune time to study the state of reforms at KEMSA, highlight the successes, and develop ideas for meeting the challenges ahead. The ongoing transformation of KEMSA from a bureaucratic state-run medicines supply agency to a more independent and competitive medical logistics authority is an important milestone and it presents opportunities for other countries to learn from the successes and failures at KEMSA.Publication Why the World Trade Organization is Critical for Vaccine Supply Chain Resilience During a Pandemic(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-05)Cross-border supply chains and international trade played a critical role in vaccinating much of the world to address the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Considering that experience, this note describes the changes needed to make the World Trade Organization (WTO) a more useful institution during such a public health emergency. It begins by describing the market failures confronting vaccines especially on the supply side, to introduce the domestic subsidies and contracting arrangements needed to accelerate vaccine research and development, and to increase the scale and speed of vaccine production during a pandemic. As an application, it relies on illustrative examples of US subsidies that emerged during COVID-19. However, the challenge confronting policymakers is exacerbated in an environment characterized by cross-border supply chains, making input shortage problems impacting production even worse. Thus, the note highlights the need for new forms of international policy coordination, including initiatives on supply chain transparency, as well as agreements to increase subsidies across countries to jointly scale up vaccine output and input production capacity along the entire supply chain. It concludes that while the WTO was mostly absent this time around, it remains the best-positioned international organization to facilitate these novel forms of international economic policy cooperation.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Global Economic Prospects, June 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-06-10)The global economy is facing another substantial headwind, emanating largely from an increase in trade tensions and heightened global policy uncertainty. For emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), the ability to boost job creation and reduce extreme poverty has declined. Key downside risks include a further escalation of trade barriers and continued policy uncertainty. These challenges are exacerbated by subdued foreign direct investment into EMDEs. Global cooperation is needed to restore a more stable international trade environment and scale up support for vulnerable countries grappling with conflict, debt burdens, and climate change. Domestic policy action is also critical to contain inflation risks and strengthen fiscal resilience. To accelerate job creation and long-term growth, structural reforms must focus on raising institutional quality, attracting private investment, and strengthening human capital and labor markets. Countries in fragile and conflict situations face daunting development challenges that will require tailored domestic policy reforms and well-coordinated multilateral support.Publication Business Ready 2024(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-03)Business Ready (B-READY) is a new World Bank Group corporate flagship report that evaluates the business and investment climate worldwide. It replaces and improves upon the Doing Business project. B-READY provides a comprehensive data set and description of the factors that strengthen the private sector, not only by advancing the interests of individual firms but also by elevating the interests of workers, consumers, potential new enterprises, and the natural environment. This 2024 report introduces a new analytical framework that benchmarks economies based on three pillars: Regulatory Framework, Public Services, and Operational Efficiency. The analysis centers on 10 topics essential for private sector development that correspond to various stages of the life cycle of a firm. The report also offers insights into three cross-cutting themes that are relevant for modern economies: digital adoption, environmental sustainability, and gender. B-READY draws on a robust data collection process that includes specially tailored expert questionnaires and firm-level surveys. The 2024 report, which covers 50 economies, serves as the first in a series that will expand in geographical coverage and refine its methodology over time, supporting reform advocacy, policy guidance, and further analysis and research.Publication Global Economic Prospects, January 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-01-16)Global growth is expected to hold steady at 2.7 percent in 2025-26. However, the global economy appears to be settling at a low growth rate that will be insufficient to foster sustained economic development—with the possibility of further headwinds from heightened policy uncertainty and adverse trade policy shifts, geopolitical tensions, persistent inflation, and climate-related natural disasters. Against this backdrop, emerging market and developing economies are set to enter the second quarter of the twenty-first century with per capita incomes on a trajectory that implies substantially slower catch-up toward advanced-economy living standards than they previously experienced. Without course corrections, most low-income countries are unlikely to graduate to middle-income status by the middle of the century. Policy action at both global and national levels is needed to foster a more favorable external environment, enhance macroeconomic stability, reduce structural constraints, address the effects of climate change, and thus accelerate long-term growth and development.Publication World Bank Annual Report 2024(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-25)This annual report, which covers the period from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, has been prepared by the Executive Directors of both the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA)—collectively known as the World Bank—in accordance with the respective bylaws of the two institutions. Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, has submitted this report, together with the accompanying administrative budgets and audited financial statements, to the Board of Governors.Publication Country Guidance for Navigating Carbon Markets(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-06-06)As a follow-up to the "Navigating Decisions in Carbon Markets" framework, this Guidance Document helps host countries develop a strategic approach for engaging with international carbon markets. It is structured into seven modules and is designed to help countries explore and answer fundamental questions on their participation in international carbon markets. It aims to help countries unlock the potential these markets offer to mobilize financing to support climate and wider developmental objectives, while managing risks. It identifies options, evaluates their strengths and weaknesses, and supports informed decision making. The Guidance also aims to address fragmentation in the capacity building landscape and was co-developed with the Paris Agreement Article 6 Implementation Partnership (A6IP), the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI).