Public Procurement as a Powerful Mechanism to Address Health Challenges
Public procurement policies and mechanisms represent a strategic lever to drive innovation and improve access to health products. By aligning procurement strategies with health and industrial priorities, governments can reduce costs, encourage technology transfer, and promote partnerships. Public procurement can also stimulate domestic research and development (R&D), and strengthen supply chain resilience and manufacturing capacity.
Effective public procurement depends on access to high-quality, up-to-date information on health product markets, alongside a clear understanding of needs and suppliers' ability to deliver quality products at affordable prices. Public sector procurers have adopted a diverse range of approaches to achieve these goals.
Draft Agenda:
1. 1:00 pm – 1:05 pm: Welcome from World Health Organization (WHO) ADG Yukiko Nakatani
2. 1:05 pm – 1:45 pm: Opening Presentations: How can public procurement be used to strengthen access to health products and health system resilience and to advance innovation?
Moderator: Deus Mubangizi, WHO
· Ms Lisa Hedman, WHO: Roadmap on access to medicines and how public research, public procurement are connected in supporting access to health products and innovation.
· Mr Giovanni Napolitano, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO): The role of intellectual property in designing public tenders and procurement to support health product innovation.
· Ms Astghik Solomonyan, World Trade Organization (WTO): The dual role of trade agreements towards reinforcing country level health related public procurement and international supply chains
· Q&A
3. 1:45 pm – 2:40 pm: Case Studies: Regional and local mechanisms for public procurement
Moderator: Deus Mubangizi, WHO
· Government of Indonesia: Public procurement as a driving tool for strengthening local innovation and manufacturing capacity
o Mr Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Minister of Health, Indonesia (TBC)
· Pan American Health Organization (PAHO): The Revolving Fund – a proven system that continues to innovate
o Mr Santiago Cornejo, Executive Manager, PAHO Regional Revolving Funds
· EU Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA): Applying the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic: Joint Procurement of Medical Countermeasures at EU Level
o Ms Katarzyna Motyka, Policy Officer, DG HERA, European Commission
· GCC Health Council (Gulf Health Council): Developing efficient decision-making processes for a multi-country pooled procurement tendering
o Mr Fathi Alkathiry, Director, Gulf Joint Procurement Program, Gulf Health Council
· Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Regional Economic Communities (REC): Sharing experiences from Africa
o Mr Wesley Ronoh, Market Shaping Lead, Africa CDC
5. 2:55 pm - 3:00 pm - Closing Remarks from WHO
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This technical webinar will offer an opportunity for various stakeholders to share recent experiences and evidence related to the public procurement of health products. Speakers will be invited to exchange perspectives and discuss best practices in leveraging procurement to incentivize innovation and improve access to health products.
