Access to quality medicines and medical products is considered to be one of the fundamental elements for realising the human right to health.
The World Health Organization (WHO), however, estimates that one in every ten medical products in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is substandard or falsified. This has only intensified under COVID-19, with opportunities for corruption rife as demand for PPE and vital medicines skyrocket.
Crown Agents’ Head of Procurement Delivery, Sarah Goldsmith, comments in U4 on the challenges of procuring medical products during the pandemic, and the lessons that need to be learnt to protect health system supply chains for future emergencies.