The WHO and the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority held the second workshop on regional pooled procurement mechanisms on June 8 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Regionalised Vaccine Manufacturing Collaborative supported the meeting, which took place alongside the Global Health Security Conference.
Participants included representatives from the Pan American Health Organisation, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Thailand’s National Vaccine Institute, National University of Singapore, World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
The workshop strengthened cooperation between regional and global organisations working to improve access to medical countermeasures during outbreaks and other health emergencies.
Medical countermeasures include vaccines, diagnostics, treatments and other health products needed to prevent, detect and respond to disease threats.
WHO Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Management Acting Director Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said pooled procurement should form part of a wider emergency response system. “Regional pooled procurement mechanisms are part of a broader ecosystem that can respond faster, more equitably and dynamically to threats,” Van Kerkhove said.
Participants examined how national, regional and global procurement mechanisms interact and how pooled systems can improve equitable access to critical health products.
Discussions also covered donation policies, allocation arrangements, regional manufacturing, stockpiling, research and development.
Financing was identified as a critical enabler. Multilateral development banks highlighted pooled financing, advance funding and demand guarantees as possible tools to support procurement.
However, participants said financing alone does not guarantee access. Financial instruments must be linked to clear demand signals, sound governance and delivery systems.
European Commission Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority Deputy Head Laurent Muschel said the interim Medical Countermeasures Network (i-MCM-Net) had supported coordination during the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak.
“i-MCM-Net has been very useful to coordinate and prioritise procurement requests that reach HERA during the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, hence reducing duplication,” Muschel said.
Muschel also called for fast and flexible allocation systems guided by scientific evidence and public health needs.
Regionalised Vaccine Manufacturing Collaborative Secretariat Executive Team Member Luigi Bonfatti said cooperation across regions is essential. “Sharing progress and pitfalls among regional entities is a key to success,” Bonfatti said.
Participants agreed that procurement systems should be strengthened before emergencies occur, with trust, financing and governance arrangements established during preparedness periods.
The workshop also called for closer alignment between global coordination, regional implementation and national decision-making to ensure emergency systems can deliver products quickly and later support sustainable demand.
–WHO/ChannelAfrica–
