Policy Papers

Accurately Forecasting Contraceptive Needs: Levels, Trends, and Determinants (1,353 KB)
English   
Author(s): Ali Mehryar Karim
Date of Publication 2007
This study examines the accuracy of the contraceptive forecasting processes of 81 family planning programs in 30 developing countries using time-series records between 1994 and 2005 on past contraceptive consumption and projected needs.

AI Commodity Distribution from May 2007- September 2007 (1,853 KB)
English   
Author(s): USAID | DELIVER PROJECT
Date of Publication 2007
Map displaying the distribution of avian influenza commodities from May 2007 to September 2007.

AI Commodity Distribution March 2007 (551 KB)
English   
Author(s): USAID | DELIVER PROJECT
Date of Publication 2007
Map displaying the distribution of avian influenza commodities from 2005 to 2007, current as of March 2007.

Analysis of the Operational Policy Barriers to Financing and Procuring Contraceptives in Malawi (428 KB)
English   
Author(s): USAID | Health Policy Initiative, USAID | DELIVER PROJECT
Date of Publication 2008
The USAID | Health Policy Initiative and USAID | DELIVER Project are working together to develop a methodology for identifying operational policy barriers in the financing and procurement of family planning (FP) products. To pilot this methodology, the projects chose to conduct a study in Malawi.

Assessing Contraceptive Financing and Procurement Policies in Malawi (306 KB)
English   
Author(s): USAID | DELIVER PROJECT, USAID | Health Policy Initiative
Date of Publication 2010
To assist countries to adapt to this new policy environment, a new publication titled Assessing Policies and Practices That Affect Contraceptive Financing and Procurement: A Review Guide was prepared by the USAID | DELIVER PROJECT, Task Order 1, and the USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1. The assessment guide is a diagnostic and monitoring tool that explains how to conduct the assessment and provides sample assessment questions and resource materials. This case study highlights the application of the guide in Malawi.

Commodity Security for Essential Medicines: Challenges and Opportunities (2,180 KB)
English   
Author(s): Raja Rao
Date of Publication 2008
Concept paper examining the inputs, variables and opportunities for commodity security of essential medicines.

Continuous Financing Helps Advance Contraceptive Security in Burkina Faso (216 KB)
English   
Author(s): USAID | DELIVER PROJECT
Date of Publication 2010
Burkina Faso uses multiple sources of financing—in tandem—to fill gaps and smooth peaks in funding, enabling the MOH to continuously supply contraceptives to their people.

Contraceptive Security: Practical Experience in Improving Global, Regional, National, and Local Product Availability (2,272 KB)
English   
Author(s): David Sarley, Raja Rao, Carolyn Hart, Leslie Patykewich, Paul Dowling, Wendy Abramson, Chris Wright, Nadia Olson, Marie Tien
Date of Publication 2006
This report documents the progress made in improving contraceptive security. It documents the lessons learned in increasing and diversifying contraceptive finance; understanding and expanding the total market; and working with the public, private, and NGO sectors to improve service delivery and product availability. It also describes different regional initiatives adopted in Latin America, Africa, and Eastern Europe; and it identifies new challenges countries face around procurement and donor coordination and how these challenges have been addressed.

Customs Clearance Issues Related to the Import of Goods for Public Health Programs (1,321 KB)
English   
Author(s): USAID | DELIVER PROJECT
Date of Publication 2009
Customs clearance procedures, regulated by recipient country governments, may change over time and can be quite complex. Failure by importers to master local customs clearance procedures, or customs procedures that are themselves prone to breakdowns, may cause long delivery delays, stock shortages, and even stockouts.

Decentralizing and Integrating Contraceptive Logistics Systems in Latin America and the Caribbean: Considerations for Informed Decision Making throughout the Health Reform Process (530 KB)
English    Español   
Author(s): Anabella Sánchez, Wendy Abramson, Nadia Olson, and Nora Quesada
Date of Publication 2006
This paper highlights key considerations for policymakers in ministries of health and decision makers from the international donor community for prioritizing supply chain management throughout the health reform process—primarily when decentralizing and/or integrating the public health system.

Decentralizing and Integrating Contraceptive Logistics Systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, With Lessons Learned from Asia and Africa (2,818 KB)
English   
Author(s): Alix Beith, Nora Quesada, Wendy Abramson, Anabella Sánchez, Nadia Olson
Date of Publication 2007
This paper, which builds on several previous documents produced by DELIVER, is an overview of key issues and lessons that LAC countries and countries in Asia and Africa have learned during the process of integration and decentralization.

DELIVER: Final Project Report (11,943 KB)
English   
Author(s): DELIVER
Date of Publication 2007
USAID funded the DELIVER project from 2000 through 2006. Implemented by John Snow Inc., the overarching aim of the project was to improve commodity security for health products in the public sector in developing countries.

Diagnóstico de la Disponibilidad Asegurada de Insumos Anticonceptivos en Guatemala: Fortalezas y Retos de los Servicios de Planificación Familiar en Guatemala (4,022 KB)
Español   
Author(s): Wendy Abramson, Anabella Sánchez, Nadia Olson
Date of Publication 2006
Este estudio sobre la “Disponibilidad Asegurada de Insumos Anticonceptivos” (DAIA) en Guatemala, realizado por el proyecto DELIVER y financiado por la USAID/Oficina Global de Salud para Latinoamérica y El Caribe (LAC), se enmarca en la iniciativa regional para documentar la forma en que los países latinoamericanos están afrontando el reto de la sostenibilidad en la provisión de anticonceptivos. (This publication is only available in Spanish.)

Ecuador: Diagnóstico Sobre La Disponibilidad Asegurada De Insumos Anticonceptivos (DAIA) (3,484 KB)
Español   
Author(s): Bernardo Uribe, Nora Quesada, Sharon Soper, Juan Agudelo, Lino Martinez
Date of Publication 2006
Este estudio sobre la “Disponibilidad Asegurada de Insumos Anticonceptivos” (DAIA) en Ecuador, realizado por el proyecto DELIVER y financiado por USAID/Ecuador, se enmarca en la iniciativa regional para documentar cómo están afrontando los países latinoamericanos el reto de sostenibilidad en la provisión de anticonceptivos. (This publication is only available in Spanish.)

Ensuring Reproductive Health Commodity Security within a Sector Wide Approach (895 KB)
English   
Author(s): USAID | DELIVER PROJECT
Date of Publication 2008
Under a SWAp, a single government-led sector plan and expenditure program is supported by development partners involved in that sector (health or education, for example). All sector participants work to adopt common technical goals; and to harmonize monitoring and evaluation, reporting, and procurement systems.

Estimating the Global In-Country Supply Chain Costs of Meeting the MDGs by 2015 (514 KB)
English   
Author(s): USAID | DELIVER PROJECT
Date of Publication 2009
This concept note outlines a costing model, cites available information sources, and identifies data gaps for estimating globally the in-country supply chain costs to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Estudios de caso: la Disponibilidad Asegurada de Insumos Anticonceptivos en Institutos de Seguridad Social en Cinco Países de América Latina: Avances en el Acceso a Servicios e Insumos de Planificación Familiar (1,764 KB)
Español   
Author(s): Anabella Sánchez, Wendy B. Abramson, Nora Quesada
Date of Publication 2008
En este documento se examinan los modelos que han implementado los institutos de seguridad social de cinco países en América Latina: El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Paraguay, y México, quienes han desarrollado intervenciones y políticas para avanzar en la disponibilidad asegurada de insumos anticonceptivos. También se incluyó el Instituto Mexicano de Seguridad Social (IMSS), por los logros que ha mantenido después de graduarse en la ayuda de donantes hace aproximadamente diez años. (This publication is only available in Spanish.)

La Adquisición de Anticonceptivos en América Latina y el Caribe Un Análisis de Opciones Actuales y Futuras en Ocho Países (1,188 KB)
English   
Author(s): USAID | DELIVER PROJECT
Date of Publication 2010
Este estudio es un seguimiento a “Opciones para la Adquisición de Anticonceptivos – Lecciones Aprendidas en Latinoamérica y el Caribe”, publicado en 2006. El objetivo de esta versión es el de actualizar la información disponible sobre los mecanismos de adquisición de anticonceptivos en los ministerios de salud e institutos de seguridad social de los siguientes países: Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Perú y la República Dominicana. La mayoría de los países en la actualidad utilizan los servicios de agente de adquisiciones del UNFPA, principalmente porque las regulaciones de la institución limitan el libre acceso a otros mecanismos y proveedores internacionales y porque se benefician de sus precios competitivos y calidad de los productos provenientes de proveedores avalados por UNFPA y la OPS. En los últimos años, los países han mejorado gradualmente su capacidad de utilizar este mecanismo. De ahora en adelante, serán esenciales el desarrollo de la capacidad institucional y la realización de esfuerzos complementarios dentro del mercado local o internacional para fortalecer la capacidad de los países para implementar prácticas de adquisición que sean mejores, transparentes y eficientes.

Measuring Family Planning Logistics System Performance in Developing Countries: Working Paper (2,518 KB)
English   
Author(s): Ali Mehryar Karim, Briton Bieze, Jaya Chimnani
Date of Publication 2008
This study describes the LSAT and assesses its reliability and validity.

Options for Contraceptive Procurement: Lessons Learned from Latin America and the Caribbean (1,358 KB)
English    Español   
Author(s): David Sarley, Varuni Dayaratna, Wendy Abramson, Jay Gribble, Nora Quesada, Nadia Olson, Verónica Siman Betancourt
Date of Publication 2006
This report analyzes the legal and regulatory framework in each of nine focus countries that may affect future procurement of contraceptive commodities, as well as the current policy environments of five USAID “graduated” countries that are now procuring contraceptives without foreign assistance.

Procurement Strategies for Health Commodities: An Examination of Options and Mechanisms within the Commodity Security Context (1,996 KB)
English   
Author(s): Raja Rao, Peter Mellon, David Sarley
Date of Publication 2006
For program managers, technical assistance providers, donors, and policymakers, this paper describes the key elements of a procurement management system for health commodities—from product selection through the bid management process to the receipt of goods—and the type of human and organizational capacities needed to carry out these functions. The analysis also examines the range of available purchasing and financing strategies and options to support and strengthen health commodity supply chains.

Programs That Deliver: Logistics' Contributions to Better Health in Developing Countries (Entire publication) (5,046 KB)
English   
Author(s): DELIVER
Date of Publication 2000
Aimed at policymakers and program managers, Programs That Deliver describes why developing country health and family planning programs cannot succeed without a strong supply chain. This is a "ZIP" file.

Regulatory Harmonization in Central America: How Harmonization Can Impact Regional Contraceptive Procurement (638 KB)
English    Español   
Author(s): Beith, Alix, Nadia Olson, and Wendy Abramson.
Date of Publication 2007
This paper discusses how, in practice, the harmonization of regulatory and procurement functions can facilitate pooled procurement as well as expand the number of contraceptive procurement options available to these countries.

Reproductive Health Commodity Security Strategy for the West Africa Subregion (810 KB)
English    Français   
Author(s): DELIVER
Date of Publication 2006
This document demonstrates that the increased use of reproductive health (RH) products can reduce maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity, which supports the West African Health Organization’s (WAHO) maternal health objectives.

República Dominicana: Diagnóstico Sobre La Disponibilidad Asegurada De Insumos Anticonceptivos (DAIA) (1,599 KB)
Español   
Author(s): Juan Agudelo, Erin Hasselberg, Ramón Orlando Jiménez, Eleodoro Pérez Sierra, Viriato Acosta
Date of Publication 2006
El diagnóstico de DAIA en República Dominicana ha sido realizado por iniciativa del Consejo Nacional de Población y Familia y del comité de Disponibilidad Asegurada de Insumos Anticonceptivos, con el apoyo técnico de USAID, como parte del estudio sobre la viabilidad de la DAIA en Latinoamérica y el Caribe (LAC). (This publication is only available in Spanish.)

Supply Chain Strengthening as a Pathway to Improving Laboratory Services (1,092 KB)
English   
Author(s): USAID | DELIVER PROJECT
Date of Publication 2009
For years, public sector laboratory networks in developing countries have been severely neglected in terms of human and financial resources and infrastructure. Investing in laboratory supply chains provides a practical approach to improving overall laboratory services.

Trends in Contraceptive Security CS Index 2003–2009 (481 KB)
English   
Author(s): USAID | DELIVER PROJECT
Date of Publication 2010
The Contraceptive Security Index (CS Index) is a tool that was developed to measure a country’s level of contraceptive security and to monitor CS over time. CS Index wall charts have been published for 2003, 2006, and 2009. This paper presents an analysis of the data over time so that readers may study the trends in CS, including the progress and the challenges, using the three sets of data spanning a six-year period.