The objective of this project was to support the six countries included in the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend (SWEDD) initiative to develop technically sound plans for investments to be made in their health supply chains. The SWEDD initiative began as a response to a lack of access to reproductive, child, and maternal health services in the countries of the Sahel region of Africa.
The supply chain component of this initiative focuses on investments in the logistics systems which allow the products needed for reproductive, child, and maternal health services to be made available. WDI provided supply chain expertise to country representatives during the SWEDD supply chain launch meeting, ran in-country workshops alongside local partners to identify health supply chain investment opportunities, and reviewed the final investment plans for each country.
Additionally, WDI developed a report summarizing the strengths, weaknesses, and lessons learned during the execution of the initial phases of SWEDD supply chain activities. As a result of the assistance provided by WDI and other partners, the investment plans for all six SWEDD countries were approved by the World Bank. Furthermore, the lessons learned from the execution of the SWEDD supply chain activities were shared with teams at the Global Fund, encouraging greater efficacy and efficiency of future, similar country engagements.
The objective of this project was to assist the government of Togo in identifying and addressing performance bottlenecks in the public-sector health supply chain. In Togo, this supply chain faces a number of chronic challenges to effective and efficient operations. In order to address these challenges, WDI first performed an assessment of the current operations of the supply chain across a wide range of functions, products, and health system levels.
WDI identified root causes for the last-mile stock out of essential medicines and validated these root causes during a meeting convening 50 high-level local stakeholders. WDI then developed a clear process and strategic framework for designing and implementing activities to address root causes.
This project provided the government of Togo with the evidence and tools needed to make significant improvements to the public-sector health supply chain. Moreover, many aspects of WDI’s engagement – from the use of management consulting-based strategic frameworks to research on capabilities of private pharmaceutical wholesalers – helped to lay a foundation for supply chain improvement activities which are driven by private sector principles and lead to market-oriented solutions.
Sproxil was founded in 2009 to empower consumers to help combat drug counterfeiting with a simple text message. The company’s Mobile Product Authentication™ (MPA™) technology ensures that consumers buy only genuine medicine. Student intern Kedon Wilson provided a financial analysis for Sproxil’s Africa divisions, focusing on Ghana, Nigeria, and other countries in West Africa.
Zagaya works to ensure malaria drugs are available and affordable for all, specifically artemisinin, its derivatives and Artemisinin Combination Therapies (ACTs). In Uganda, Zagaya is partnering with JLM Pharmaceuticals Ltd. JLM is a for-profit startup company dedicated to increasing access and availability of infectious/chronic disease diagnostics and pharmaceutical products in far, competitive, and innovative markets while emphasing the need to empower customers to make informed buying decisions. Student intern Amey Sutkowski worked to better understand the private sector supply chain in Uganda as it related to anti-malarials, and developed recommendations to make the supply chain more sustainble.
The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to strengthening integrated health systems in the developing world and expanding access to care and treatment for HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. CHAI’s solution-oriented approach focuses on improving market dynamics for medicines and diagnostics; lowering prices for treatment; accelerating access to life saving technologies; and helping governments build the capacity required for high quality care and treatment programs. Student intern Fred Denny worked with importers in Tanzania to determine how best to distribute rapid diagnostic tests once they arrive in the country.
VillageReach improves access to healthcare for remote, underserved communities worldwide. It partners with governments, businesses, non-profits, and other organizations to improve the performance and reliability of health systems in the most inaccessible and isolated communities. Student intern Jodi-Ann Burey worked with VillageReach on organizational development and capacity building in Malawi.
VillageReach improves access to healthcare for remote, underserved communities worldwide. It partners with governments, businesses, non-profits, and other organizations to improve the performance and reliability of health systems in the most inaccessible and isolated communities. Student intern Zaina Awad laid the groundwork for a monitoring framework to help ensure the effective delivery of immunization services including vaccines throughout the country.
The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to strengthening integrated health systems in the developing world and expanding access to care and treatment for HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. CHAI’s solution-oriented approach focuses on improving market dynamics for medicines and diagnostics; lowering prices for treatment; accelerating access to life saving technologies; and helping governments build the capacity required for high quality care and treatment programs. Student intern Amy Hendricks worked with the global- and country-based malaria teams to investigate whether limited access to capital affects markups and other costs throughout the pharmaceutical supply chain.
PharmaSecure is a social enterprise founded in 2007 to address the problem of global drug counterfeiting. The enterprise features unique identification codes that can be printed or affixed onto every single unit of a medicine and verified by a consumer at the point of purchase via a text message or website confirmation. PharmaSecure also has communication modules that can be used by manufacturers to reach out to consumers who have purchased their medicines for the purpose of prescription refill notifications, information about new products, and reminders to take their medicines. Student intern Javier Rivera developed a study to gain insight into the rural market for PharmaSecure. The study focused on consumer behavior, pharmacist response to PharmaSecure solutions, and strategies to raise authentication rates.
PATH is an international, nonprofit organization that creates sustainable, culturally relevant solutions, enabling communities worldwide to break long-standing cycles of poor health. Student intern Julianna Oswald developed a supply chain strategy for a Non-Pneumatic Antishock Garment (NASG), a medical device which treats women with uncontrollable postpartum hemorrhage by controlling the bleeding, reversing the shock, and stabilizing the patient for safe transport to a comprehensive obstetric care facility. At the time of this internship, the device’s benefits have been limited by its high cost of distribution and large minimum order requirement. Oswald’s work helped alleviate these barriers and enabled broader distribution in order to save more mothers’ lives during childbirth.