Carolyn Whitten

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Country: USA
Background: BA Political Science
Research Project: Medicines procurement in Africa. Case of Sengal

Many developing countries struggle to ensure an uninterrupted supply of essential medicines that are efficacious and of good quality, financially accessible and well
prescribed. The Medicines Policy and Supply Management team of the Technical Cooperation for Essential Drugs and Traditional Medicine Department of the WHO has engaged with the Ministries of Health in 10 countries in the WHO AFRO Region to assess national medicines supply systems. While in line with previous research evaluating procurement system performance and auditing policy compliance, the study departs slightly from precedent by providing a visual representation of the current supply chain situation in the form of a map, before asking  if and how external influences may be contributing to systemic breakdowns. The purpose of this paper is to present some of the findings for Senegal, and to discuss implications and possible solutions for some of the key problems in the Senegalese medicines procurement and supply system. Results show that hefty procedural and administrative relationships with aid Partners may be hampering the equitable delivery of essential medicines in Senegal, and that reform upholding endorsed international principles for aid effectiveness needs to be seen at the top of Partners’ agendas and in action on the ground.