Global Fund: Progress Report 2010 - unaids

TABLE 4.4
INNOVATION MILESTONES AT THE GLOBAL FUND (2009)
STRATEGIC AREA
AID EFFECTIVENESS
COUNTRY OWNERSHIP
ACCESS TO MEDICINES AND
RELATED COMMODITIES
HEALTH SYSTEMS
STRENGTHENING
INNOVATION
• A new grant architecture to streamline
grant design, implementation, and M&E
• National Strategy Applications
• First Learning Wave of National
Strategy Applications
• Affordable Medicines Facility – malaria
• Voluntary Pooled Procurement
• Proposal for a joint platform for funding
and technical support of health systems
strengthening
50. In early 2010, ten pilot projects (in Cambodia,
Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda,
Uganda and in the United Republic of Tanzania
(mainland and Zanzibar)) will participate in Phase 1
of the AMFm and implement interventions to promote
appropriate use of ACT drugs. Financial support
for the pilot projects comes from UNITAID, the
government of the United Kingdom, and the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation.
51. Voluntary pooled procurement, also launched
in June 2009, revolves around collective purchasing
of drugs and related commodities. This initiative aims
to influence characteristics such as price, quality and
supply by bulk purchasing, thereby facilitating ready
access to medicines and other products. Four product
categories constitute the initiative’s initial focus: firstline
ARVs, second-line ARVs, ACT drugs and LLINs. The
short-term strategy includes monitoring the prices, cost
savings and market share, while the long-term strategy
will focus on strengthening national procurement
systems and supply chain management. Procurement
transactions worth US$ 271.4 million have been processed
so far for 16 countries and 24 grants. Another
18 countries have registered for voluntary pooled
procurement and have submitted requests for procurement
assistance. To date, ten countries have expressed
interest in receiving capacity building and supply chain
management assistance.
52. A common platform for health systems strengthening.
Another new initiative is the proposed common
funding platform for health systems strengthening
with the World Bank and the GAVI Alliance, facilitated
by WHO. Collectively, working with partners and countries
during 2010, the four agencies will elaborate the
policy, operational and financial implications of this
platform. Among the platform components to be
develop ed are common funding policies for health
systems strengthening, common country eligibility
criteria, joint review mechanisms for proposals, program
oversight, harmonization of technical support and
a common framework for measuring performance. For
the first time, these major global agencies have proposed
to jointly use their resources for health systems
strengthening in low- and middle-income countries.
Some of the expected benefits of the joint platform
are reduced transaction costs for countries in accessing
funding for this strategic area; increased global focus
on health systems strengthening; better long-term
predictability of donor funding and improved harmonization
and alignment of funding and programming
for health systems strengthening at the global and
country levels.