IPPF’s number one priority during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is ensuring that Member Associations can continue to deliver lifesaving sexual and reproductive health services, in a way that is safe for both our staff and our clients.
To do this, it is crucial that Member Associations have access to the right equipment and resources, when they need them. IPPF’s Supply Chain department plays a key role in supporting Member Associations to remain well-stocked and can continue to serve their communities.
Since the start of the pandemic, the Supply Chain team has been working on three fronts:
- to meet the increased need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Member Associations,
- to prepare for the longer-term needs of the Member Associations and to ensure the ongoing supply of reproductive health and contraceptive commodities, and
- to keep the regular product supply through our other procurement mechanisms intact.
Whilst the first response of the Supply Chain team in the crisis was to focus on identifying additional supply options for the immediate need of PPE, at the same time the team has been closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on the supply chain of contraceptive commodities with all relevant public and private partners in the sector.
We have seen a range of challenges: shortages of raw materials, pauses or delays in production, increased regulation of international/domestic transports and importation of key commodities, increasing and continuously changing pricing and availability of products and freight. All of this might impact product availability in the period ahead and requires us to be alert and creative to ensure we can continue to access to key commodities to provide our vital services and keep our programs running.
It won’t surprise anyone to hear that international procurement, particularly of PPE, is extremely challenging now, with countries, international NGOs, UN programs and private companies all vying for the same products. The Supply Chain team is supporting Member Associations to procure their PPE needs from local distributors, wholesale organizations or manufacturers first, to limit the requirement of PPE through lengthy, restricted and expensive international supplies. When local supplies are really not possible, we have added a request form to the Microsite at ippf-covid19.org/commodities and have set up a dedicated email address – covid19Supply@ippf.org.
Even though it has been challenging to procure PPE, we have seen the strength of a globally connected Federation in the last couple of weeks. The China Family Planning Association has generously donated face masks, thermometers and gowns, while the Supply Chain team has managed to place an order for face masks and thermometers with the initial budget made available for the COVID-19 response. The COVID-19 Taskforce has allocated all those products to Member Associations that have indicated an immediate need for PPE. Moving forward, we are investigating additional supply options through our partners, including WHO, UNFPA and UNICEF.
This is a challenging time for all of us, across the Federation. The supply chain conditions are changing rapidly, and we may not see the full extent of the disruption for several months. That is why we must continue to work closely together to meet the immediate needs for procurement and to anticipate future needs.
In solidarity,
Marcel Van Valen
Head of Supply Chain