Technical Discussion on Local Versus International Procurement

Join us on November 18th, 2021 at 8:00 am ET for a technical discussion on “Local vs. International Procurement.” With support from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), and in collaboration with IAPHL, we are delighted to announce this opportunity to hear experiences from the field and identify common challenges and solutions to improve procurement processes of pharmaceuticals at the international and local levels. Pharmaceutical procurement occurs in many contexts in the humanitarian setting. We will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of diverse procurement options.

Our speaker from the field will be Ehab Al-Ashqar, Country Medical Commodities Manager from International Medical Corps in Iraq. Ehab Al-Ashqar joined IMC in 2014, as a field MMU and static clinic pharmacist, then was promoted to pharmacist officer in 2015, Senior pharmacist officer in 2016, and Country Medical commodities manager in 2018. This gradual promotion and transition from the field to higher management and supervision level provides Ehab with a unique understanding of the pharmaceutical chain micromanagement, clear knowledge of different requirements, and a capacity to undertake planning, management, and troubleshooting tasks efficiently.

We know this theme is crucial for the work you all carry out, especially in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, migration, and forced displacements around the world.

We look forward to a lively conversation, where we can learn from one another to improve both local and international procurement of pharmaceuticals.

This meeting is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI) and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID/BHA or the United States Government.