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Pharmaceutical Sector

HERA's mission is to promote accessible, efficient and equitable health services and health systems. Access to essential medicines is an essential component of health services. Therefore HERA assists its clients in developing robust pharmaceutical sector policies and strategies with cost-effectiveness, equity and sustainability as underlying principles.

HERA's experience in pharmaceutical sector development covers studies on behalf of and hands-on assistance for national governments (e.g. Bangladesh, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Guyana, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Macedonia, Namibia, South Africa, Suriname, Tanzania, Timor Leste, Zambia, and Zimbabwe), multilateral development agencies (e.g. the European Commission, UNICEF, World Health Organisation and the World Bank), bilateral development agencies (e.g. AusAID, DANIDA, DFID, DGIS), and NGOs (e.g. Cordaid, Health Action International, Malaria Consortium, MSF, Wemos) as well as in cooperation with other consultancy organizations (MSH, SCMS).

Specific fields of expertise include the following:


Pharmaceutical Sector Reviews

Pharmaceutical sector reviews are often requested by national authorities in order to review sector organisation and performance, and identify areas for improvement (e.g. in terms of efficiency, equity, accessibility, sustainability); or by development agencies prior to deciding on areas for support or to measure sector performance.

HERA has developed a specific tool for implementing pharmaceutical sector reviews but also does focused reviews when requested.

Some examples of pharmaceutical sector reviews that resulted in concrete proposals for donor support are:

  • Ethiopia: design, master plan and implementation plan for a new health commodities supply system (for MOH, financed by Unicef, 2005-2006).
  • Suriname: pharmaceutical sector assessment as integrated part of the Health Sector Reform Plan (for MOH funded by the Dutch Government, 2003-2004)
  • South Africa: pharmaceutical sector assessment (for MOH, financed by DFID, 1996).
  • Tanzania: pharmaceutical sector review (for MOH, financed by Danida, 2003-2004).
  • Timor Leste: quick scan of the pharmaceutical sector (for World Bank funded by the European Commission, 2008).
  • Zambia: pharmaceutical sector support (for MOH, financed by the Netherlands Embassy, 2002-2006).
  • Zimbabwe: pharmaceutical sector support (for MOH, financed by European Commission, 2004)
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National Medicines Policy Development

Sector reviews that resulted in adjusting national policies, strategies, sector plans or health sector reforms are for example:

  • Guyana: pharmaceutical sector review (for MOH, financed by Inter-American Development Bank, 2006).
  • Kenya: pharmaceutical sector review (for MOH, financed by World Bank, 2004).
  • Lesotho: pharmaceutical sector review (for MOH, financed by World Bank, 2002-2003).
  • Madagascar: review of drug supply system (for MOH, financed by UNICEF, 2007).
  • Namibia: pharmaceutical sector support (for MOH, financed by European Commission, 1996-2001).
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Essential Drugs Programme Support

HERA staff has substantial experience in running Essential Drug Programmes in Africa (the Gambia, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa). In addition, HERA staff and consultants have extensive experience in designing, costing, backstopping and evaluating essential drug programmes.

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Access to Medicines Campaigns

HERA staff has worked with NGO's like Malaria Consortium, MSF, Wemos and HAI in analysing barriers to access to medicine, performing lobby activities and designing projects and campaigns to promote better access to medicines.

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Procurement and Tender Support

HERA staff and consultants have supported Ministries of Health in Africa, Eastern Europe, South America, and South East Asia with procurement and tender support, amongst them East Timor, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Macedonia, Namibia, Suriname, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. HERA staff has extensive experience in procurement assessments for development agencies as well as the World Bank. Recent assessments have been done in Ethiopia, Lesotho, Namibia and Zambia.

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Drug Regulatory Authority Support

HERA staff has trained and supported staff of African Drug Regulatory Authorities and CARICOM countries. Drug regulators of Tanzania and Zimbabwe have worked with HERA to assist their colleagues in Kenya.

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Selection of Essential Medicines

HERA staff and consultants have assisted several Ministries of Health in Africa and South America with a review of their essential medicines lists including Libya, Namibia, South Africa, Suriname, Tanzania, and Zanzibar.

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Quantification of Essential Drug Needs

HERA staff and consultants have published and reviewed quantification methodologies, and assisted several countries with quantification of essential medicines needs since the late 1980s, e.g. Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Zambia. HERA staff has developed and assisted with implementation national procurement plans for health commodities in Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi and Suriname.

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Drug Supply Management Systems Strengthening

HERA staff and consultants have extensive experience in planning and executing Drug Supply Management surveys, and in evaluating and strengthening Drug Supply Management systems. Recent studies were done in Kenya and Lesotho. Two of the HERA staff have years of experience in managing medical stores (Asrames in DR Congo and BGVS in Suriname) and have worked on the development and implementation of computerized medicines inventory and procurement systems (DR Congo, Malawi and Suriname). HERA staff have supported the design and/or development of Central Medical Stores in Madagascar and Rwanda.

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Rational Use Surveys

HERA staff and consultants are well conversed with the WHO/INRUD methodology to assess rational use of medicines through rapid survey techniques. Survey results have also been used by HERA consultants for the design of national rational use policies: see our Kenya study.

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Increasing Transparency In Public And Private Pharmaceutical Markets

HERA, together with HPI UK and Health Link UK, implements the contract with DFID for starting up and running of the META Secretariat (Medicines Transparency Alliance).

HERA is a founding member of the H3 consortium that implements the Medicines Transparency Alliance Secretariat. MeTA is an alliance of partners working to improve access to medicines by increasing transparency and accountability in the healthcare marketplace through multi-stakeholder collaboration. The UK Department for International Development (DFID) is providing initial funding. Other partners include governments, global and national civil society organisations, pharmaceutical and other business interests, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank.

HERA partner Wilbert Bannenberg is the Technical Director of the MeTA Secretariat. As such, he is responsible for country support in seven countries: Ghana, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, the Philippines, Uganda and Zambia. Other HERA staff act as country consultants or provide technical assistance on procurement issues.

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Training and Human Resource Development

HERA staff regularly teach on pharmaceutical topics in Masters and other Training courses in European Universities and NGOs. HERA also has a wide network which can mobilize specific training experts on nearly all pharmaceutical topics. HERA has organized special courses on medicines procurement in Lesotho (2006) and Suriname (2008; see http://volksgezondheid.gov.sr/PSM/). In many of our projects on-job training is an important element of the program.

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