Washington, D.C., December 16, 2024 – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization's Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) have announced a strategic partnership to enhance access to essential medicines and health supplies through pooled procurement.
Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO, and Dr. Hanan Balkhy, Regional Director for EMRO, formalized this agreement to leverage PAHO's extensive experience with its Revolving Funds for Vaccines and Strategic Public Health Supplies. This collaboration aims to support EMRO in developing efficient procurement mechanisms, thereby improving purchasing power, streamlining supply chains, and expanding access to high-quality health products in underserved communities across both regions.
This partnership underscores the shared commitment of PAHO and EMRO to advancing universal health coverage and health equity worldwide. By building on proven approaches, this initiative seeks to achieve sustainable results and make a significant impact on global health.
In a similar effort to enhance access to essential health products, PAHO signed an agreement with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in September 2024. This agreement focuses on equitable access to vaccines, medicines, and other strategic health technologies, leveraging PAHO’s expertise to support the development of the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism[1].
