Being engaged as the Technical Implementation Consultant for the Health Services Joint Fund (HSJF) to the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) in Malawi since July 2019, the team of management4health has now recently supported the MoHP in developing an Emergency Response to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by preparing for an emergency procurement of supplies through UNICEF. For this procurement, the HSJF has allocated approx. USD 2,500,000. This procurement is part of the Government of Malawi’s request to several partners to finance the 2019-conVirus response plan.
The focus of this response plan is on:
- Mobilising Corona virus supplies, equipment and pre-position them
- Equipping the infectious disease treatment centres
- Equipping quarantine units
- Strengthening laboratory capacities to detect COVID-19
In this context, the emergency procurement prepared with the support of management4health comprises:
- PPE and medical supplies like surgical masks, disposable caps, gowns, gloves and shoe covers, and hand sanitizers as well as respirators, catheters, tubes, infusion sets, cannulas and thermometers, etc.
- Medicines like Paracetamol, Chloroquine, Dextrose, Ceftriacone, Glucose, Hydrocortisone and ORS
management4health provided support in:
- Needs assessment and development of the list of PPE, medical supplies and medicines
- Definition of required quantities for each item
- Development of technical specifications based on UNICEF specifications
- Development of cost breakdown of the total cost per item to be procured based on actual cost estimates provided by UNICEF
- Calculation of freight cost and in-country logistics
- Definition of roles and responsibilities in the procurement process
- Assessment of risks especially with regard to 1) product availability due to huge demand worldwide and the possible closing of international airports, 2) delays in and accuracy of the reporting procedures for UNICEF, 3) distributing the equipment in the country upon arrival in Malawi and 4) potential stock out of essential commodities in the mainstream supply chain
- Development of risk mitigation measures
- Preparation of the so-called “Motion” – a document including the equipment list, quantities, breakdown of the total cost, indicators, risk assessment etc. to be approved by MoHP and the Development Partners (DPs)
The equipment and supplies will be procured using a third-party procurement through UNICEF. UNICEF conducts the bidding process and identifies the supplier of the equipment and supplies.
By providing adequate medical supplies, this procurement shall contribute to strengthening the epidemic preparedness and response of Malawi and to ensuring that all treatment centres and entry points are fully equipped to ensure screening and testing.
