Financing Medicines for Primary Health Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Reliable access to essential medicines and health supplies is fundamental to achieving universal health coverage and strengthening primary health care. Yet despite significant investments in both health financing and supply chain systems, medicines remain unavailable at many frontline facilities across low- and middle-income countries. Declining donor funding and growing fiscal pressures are placing additional strain on already stretched systems.

This event by Health Systems Insight and the Center for Global Development brings together key themes from Health Systems Insight’s four-part SP4PHC webinar series. Building on previous discussions on performance management at the subnational level, coherence in purchasing, and fund flows for primary health care, this event will examine how these themes come together in the financing and delivery of medicines and health supplies.

The event will also present findings from CGD’s working group on supply chain financing and feature insights from in-country experts from the Philippines and Kenya on their experiences managing supply chains in the face of mounting aid cuts and fiscal pressures.

Opening Remarks

Nathan Blanchett, Director, Strategic Purchasing for Primary Health Care, Health Systems Insight

Speakers

Edward Llewellyn, Senior Commodities and Supply Chain Specialist, Global Financing Facility

Pura Angela Wee-Co, Country Director, Philippines, Health Systems Insight

Anooj Pattnaik, Senior Technical Advisor, Health Systems Insight

Katherine Klemperer, Policy Analyst, Center for Global Development (also moderating)