Safe, Affordable, and Effective Medicines for Ukrainians (SAFEMed)
Safe, Affordable, and Effective Medicines for Ukrainians (SAFEMed)
Overview
The Safe, Affordable, and Effective Medicines (SAFEMed) for Ukrainians Activity is designed to support the Government of Ukraine in its ongoing efforts to reform its health care system and expand access to affordable and reliable medicines. With support from USAID and PEPFAR, MSH provides technical and legal assistance to strengthen Ukraine’s pharmaceutical sector. Our work focuses on boosting transparency, implementing cost management strategies, and supporting the decentralization and integration of health services across local and national levels. SAFEMed has worked with the government and local institutions on various measures, including the launch of a central procurement agency known as the Medical Procurement of Ukraine (MPU). The development of this agency continues to help reduce patients’ out-of-pocket expenses and further ensure Ukrainians can access lifesaving medicines and health commodities for HIV, TB, COVID-19, and more.
Following the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, SAFEMed is playing an important role in keeping the country’s supply chain intact and ensuring that humanitarian medical supplies reach the people that need them most. While much of SAFEMed’s staff has been forced to flee their homes, they continue to carry out their work in safer locations. Since the start of the war, MSH has helped establish Ukraine’s state-managed distribution of medical humanitarian aid, implemented supply chain innovations, and developed key partnerships with local institutions to close gaps in medical supplies and the health workforce.
The award-winning program works with the local government and partners to:
- Systematize public procurement of medicines and health commodities
- Implement sustainable management and financing practices within the pharmaceutical sector
- Establish a strong pharmaceutical supply chain system that can be carried on by the government, civil society, and private partners
Accomplishments include:
- Helped improve transparency and promote evidence-based selection of medicines for public coverage by establishing Ukraine’s Health Technology Assessment (HTA) department in 2019
- Supported the expansion and digitalization of Ukraine’s Affordable Medicines Program, which provides access to essential medicines for chronic conditions at little to no cost for patients, and aided in its transition to the National Health Services of Ukraine
- Provided technical support to secure the MPU as a financially independent and sustainable agency, which has helped generate millions in savings on centralized procurements and distributed medical goods
- Established a model for last-mile delivery of medicines, in partnership with the private sector, to ensure HIV and TB medicines reach every region
Health Technology Assessment for Evidence-Based Decision Making
In 2017, Ukraine began the process of institutionalizing health technology assessment (HTA) to optimize its health resources, ranging from medicines to medical devices, and promote evidence-based decision making to improve quality of care and treatment costs. Despite numerous challenges brought on by the pandemic and ongoing war, the USAID SAFEMed Activity has provided technical and legal support to help the country establish a strong and sustainable HTA function.
PEPFAR Has Been a Lifeline in Ukraine. Now It’s under Threat
In the midst of political fights over the reauthorization of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), it can be easy to lose sight of the tangible difference this initiative has made since it began in 2003. Hear from two MSH staff members in Ukraine about how PEPFAR funding benefitted people living with HIV there and helped the country cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion.
Rebecca Kohler
Chief of Party
Project Contact
Rebecca Kohler is the Chief of Party of the MSH-led, USAID-funded project, Safe, Affordable, and Effective Medicines (SAFEMed) for Ukrainians. She brings over 30 years of expertise in global health working in key leadership, management, technical, and advisory positions in the US and around the world. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President with IntraHealth International, where she was responsible for strategy, business development, advocacy, and partnerships. A seasoned global health practitioner, Kohler brings hands-on experience working on health systems strengthening, health workforce, HIV and AIDS, reproductive health, and maternal and child health programs in more than 30 countries across several continents, including long-term, resident assignments in Tanzania, Kenya, Eritrea, and Armenia. She holds a master’s degree in public health from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and a bachelor’s degree from Duke University.
Donors & Partners
Donors
The United States Agency for International Development
PEPFAR