UNDP to procure broad range of life-saving medicines in Moldova

As part of the agreement, UNDP will procure medicines and medical products under several national and special health programmes, including national programme of prevention and control of HIV/AIDS and STDs.

“The Ministry of Health has made significant efforts to improve pharmaceutical activity and ensure access of the most vulnerable persons to medical products of maximum importance. Through this memorandum, we aim to bring efficiency in the healthcare system, optimize and enhance transparency of procurement of medicines through international mechanisms that allow us on one hand to get reasonable prices and on the other, to ensure universal coverage with qualitative treatment to those who need it”, noted Ruxanda Glavan, Minister of Health.

“As a result of UNDP’s assistance, affordable, world standard medicines will reach the most vulnerable patients in time. In the process, we’ll work with Moldovan partners to improve procurement processes and to make institutions more transparent and accountable”, said Dafina Gercheva, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative.

All procurement will be carried out in accordance with UNDP standards, in a transparent, efficient and accountable manner. UNDP will provide the Ministry of Health with regular financial reports. All calls for tenders, bids results, procurement progress and delivery tables will be publicly available on the UNDP Moldova website.

UNDP will also help upgrade storage conditions in line with good delivery practice (GDP) international standards.

The project will be implemented in partnership with UNAIDS (Join UN Programme on HIV/AIDS).

In November 2015, UNDP became the first UN agency to procure the most common HIV treatment for less than US$ 100 per patient per year for a number of countries. This was a historic breakthrough, compared to the US$ 10,000 per year it cost only 10 years ago.

A number of governments, including the Government of the Republic of Moldova, have requested UNDP to provide health procurement and supply chain services, including development of capacity of national systems and procurement reform, mainly using governments’ own budgets, and going well beyond HIV, TB products.

In Ukraine, UNDP procures medicines and medical products since 2015. Only first weeks of UNDP Ukraine medicines procurement for 2016 have already shows US$ 3 million savings.

The 2016 Aid Transparency Index recognized UNDP as the most transparent aid organisation among 46 international agencies, representing 98 per cent of Official Development Flows.