“Health system resilience doesn’t happen by chance but by a series of deliberate decisions” ~Dr. Githinji Gitahi, Global CEO – Amref Health Africa Strategic health purchasing involves making deliberate decisions about what services and medicines to buy, how to contract with providers and pay them effectively, and how to ensure monitoring and accountability. So strategic purchasing is even more relevant in times of pandemics such as COVID-19, because the demands on health system resources are greater and the consequences of misallocation are more severe. Countries are faced with the delicate balancing act of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic decisively, while also ensuring continuity of other essential health services that could be crowded out as attention and resources are diverted to the pandemic response. As a resource center for African countries, SPARC is bringing together policymakers and experts in the region to share experience using strategic purchasing effectively to make deliberate decisions about the optimal use of health resources as the pandemic unfolds. SPARC has tapped into our network of technical partners in 10 countries across the continent to understand the key issues they are grappling with and how we can facilitate a discussion and shared learning about strategic health purchasing in the time of COVID-19. Please follow this conversation we have had over the last few months that highlight the issues that emerged related to strategic purchasing in the time of COVID-19 and how countries across the continent responded.
Stay safe and healthy,
Dr. Nkechi Olalere
Executive Director, SPARC