Why do we need a Prime Vendor?
Access to health care is determined by availability of medical supplies. Patients equate quality of care with the availability of medicines. Clinicians depend on effective, safe and good quality medicines to provide adequate health care. If out of stock, patients suffer and lose confidence in health services.
How are medicines financed?
Centrally, the Ministry of Health (MoHCDGEC) allocates defined sums for medical supplies for each health facility directly to Medical Stores Department (MSD). At health facility level, complementary funds from CHF, NHIF and cost-sharing are generated and managed by the Health Facility Governing Committee (HFGC).
Filling the medicines supply gap in Tanzania with a complementary
PRIME VENDOR SYSTEM
Filling the gap - our strategy
Alternative strategies are needed to fill the supply gap and to complement the public sector supply system. While MSD will remain the backbone for medicines supply, Dodoma Region together with Health Promotion and System Strengthening (HPSS) project established a unique Prime Vendor System as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
Developing a Jazia Prime Vendor System
Dodoma region and districts endorsed the Prime Vendor concept involving the private sector. Procedures to procure complementary supplies from a single vendor in a pooled regional approach were developed. A supplier was selected based on Good Procurement Practice. The Prime Vendor System was registered as Jazia PVS.
Key features
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Complements Medical Stores Department (MSD)
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Public-private partnership (PPP)
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Fixed prices and comparable to MSD
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Medicines of assured quality, safety and efficacy
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Funds from health facility own sources, responding to fiscal decentralization
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A system and not just a vendor
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Sustainable and not a parallel system
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Transparency and accountability enhanced
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Based on government policies and within regional structures
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Significant increase in availability of medicines
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Improved access to medicines for patients
Jazia PVS in a nutshell:
Results
Convincing results with Jazia PVS Dodoma Region
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Availability of medicines and medical supplies: increase of over 40%
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Average delivery time: MSD 1 month or more vs Jazia PVS 10 working days
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Annual value of all PV orders: TShs 2 billion
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Order fulfillment rate by PV: 99%
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High performance rating of Jazia PVS (delivery time, fill rate, quality, communication)
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Transparency and accountability improved through Good Procurement Practice, SOPs, audits and sanctions
Convincing results with Jazia PVS in Tanzania
CONTACT
Health Promotion and System Strengthening Project (HPSS)
ACT Building, 7th Avenue
P.O. Box 29
Dodoma
Tanzania
T: +255 26 2323 084
Contact: ally.kebby@hpss.or.tz
National Roll-out
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Convincing results and policy dialogue has led to government adoption.
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In 2017 the government requested to scale up the successful pilot to all 26 regions of mainland Tanzania.
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A 12-step approach for implementation was applied.
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Cascade training from national to facility level was conducted.
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Each selected private vendor signed a contract with the respective regional authority.
From pilot to policy and scale
