Ensuring access to essential medicines and Public Health supplies while supporting the COVID-19 response

WHAT: “Ensuring access to essential medicines and Public Health supplies while supporting the COVID-19 response”

WHEN: Tuesday, 13 July, 2021 2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. (EDT)

PARTICIPANTS

Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr., Assistant Director, PAHO/WHO
Julio Garay, Chief of the National Tuberculosis Program, Ministry of Health, El Salvador
Socorro Gross-Galiano, PAHO/WHO Country Representative, Brazil
Alexandra Hidalgo, Vice Minister of Insurance and Unified Health System, Ministry of Health, Bolivia
Christopher Lim, Unit Chief of PAHO Strategic Fund, PAHO/WHO
Analía Porrás, Unit Chief, Medicines and Health Technologies, PAHO/WHO
Claudia Vaca, Associate Professor, National University of Colombia
Prashant Yadav, Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development

MODERATOR

Javier Guzman, Director of Global Health Policy and Senior Policy Fellow, Center for Global Development

ABOUT THE EVENT

Ensuring access, affordability, and equity to essential medicines and other health products is critical to strong health systems. COVID-19 has shown how quickly failing to safeguard these principles reverses progress towards universal access to health and universal health coverage. Coordination and distribution of essential medicines and supplies are paramount, especially during health emergencies. However, a combination of rising costs, lack of financial support, limited product availability, and inadequate quality control has made managing and optimizing these required resources increasingly challenging.

Join the Center for Global Development (CGD) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for a virtual discussion on the role of pooled procurement mechanisms in advancing the availability of essential health products and services amidst complex challenges such as COVID-19. The discussion will build on related CGD work and focus on experiences of the PAHO Strategic Fund—a mechanism to improve access to medicines and supplies and strengthen the efficiency and sustainability of public health systems across the Americas. The PAHO Strategic Fund’s 2020 Annual Report will be launched during the event, and speakers will highlight the advantages, barriers, and challenges associated with ensuring the emergency pandemic response with priority public health commitments.