The current COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates a lack of emergency preparedness for supply chains across the world. What can countries do now? 

Research has shown that planning for and investing in emergency preparedness in advance – and building resilient supply chains – reduces the amount of response funds needed and allows for a quick response to control, contain, and, hopefully, stop a disease before it spreads. As COVID-19 continues to spread across the world and within countries, the stakes have become particularly high for countries that have not prepared their supply chains in advance for major disruptions. As resources like fuel, vehicles, and healthy staff become harder to access or mobilize, the health system’s ability to provide routine health care will face greater challenges that require even stronger systems.

The Emergency Supply Chain (ESC) Playbook can help countries prepare for and deploy the necessary systems and tools to respond to major disruptions. The Playbook was first developed by the USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program-Technical Assistance Francophone Task Order implemented by Chemonics in Cameroon, with support and funding from USAID and the Global Health Security Agenda, and subsequently customized at the country level with funding from USAID through the USAID Global Health Supply Chain-Procurement and Supply Management, Integrated Health and Supply Chain-Technical Assistance, and Project Last Mile. The Playbook has already been implemented in several countries, including Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Join us for a webinar on April 8 at 8 a.m. EST that will address what emergency supply chain preparedness is and why it matters, as well as how the ESC Playbook can help countries during disease outbreaks like COVID-19 and other public health emergencies.

Speakers include:

  • Netsy Woldesemait, Burundi Project Manager & ESC Playbook Coordinator, GHSC-PSM
  • Matt Craven, MD, Partner & Infectious Diseases Lead, McKinsey & Company
  • Parfait Edah, Country Director – Burkina Faso, GHSC-PSM

REGISTER NOW

 

For general questions, please contact HSSOperations@ghsc-psm.org.