Gom Mirian
A new report released by Shaping Equitable Market Access for Reproductive Health (SEMA) is calling for collective action to address the challenges in accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) products.
According to the report made public on Tuesday, the global health community has focused on monitoring market issues related to the supply, quality and price of products available in the public sector, but rapidly shifting market landscape necessitates a new approach to sustain and further improve on them.
It stated that this monitoring has been done in collaboration with major global buyers like UNFPA and USAID, who respond to market problems or opportunities by negotiating with suppliers or introducing new products primarily in the public sector through global procurement mechanisms.
However, SEMA’s report revealed, this approach fails to address the challenges faced by national public and private buyers who are taking on an increasingly significant role in procurement.
It stated: “Buyers are citing risks related to accessing reliable supply at affordable prices due to low stock purchases. Country stakeholders are stating market risks related to not adequately understanding consumer demand to guide procurement, policy and programme planning.”
To tackle these issues, the SEMA report recommends three key shifts in the field. Firstly, it calls for a greater focus on strengthening national capacity to understand and address public and private markets. This entails enhancing the ability of national stakeholders to identify and respond to market challenges effectively.
Also, the report advocates for increased investments and activities aimed at gathering and sharing market data by aligning efforts in data collection and analysis to create better understanding of market dynamics and make informed decisions to ensure equitable access to SRH products.
It also called for the development of a mechanism that fosters collaboration among public and private national stakeholders, as well as other partners, to prioritise needs and create a coordinated response across countries. This multi-party approach, it added, will enhance collective action and improve access to SRH products for all.
The Executive Director of SEMA, Blair Hanewall, underscored these recommendations, saying, “We know these markets are getting more complex with more buyers, new products, changing demographics and the increasing role of the private sector.”
“If we want to ensure we can sustain access to quality, affordable products, then we need to act now to invest in the capacities, data structures, and coordination platforms that we need for today and tomorrow. These approaches will also ensure we are using our resources most effectively to meet the needs of the communities.”
