PAHO/WHO: Revolving Fund helps countries provide free vaccines during Vaccination Week in the Americas
26 April 2013

Excerpt
Countries and territories participating in this year’s Vaccination Week in the Americas obtained most of their vaccines through the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Revolving Fund, a cooperation mechanism that facilitates bulk purchases of vaccines and immunization supplies at lower prices. PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne noted, “The PAHO Revolving Fund is an important reason why all the vaccines used during Vaccination Week in the Americas are free of charge to individuals and families….”  The PAHO/WHO Revolving Fund works by pooling member countries’ purchases of vaccines, syringes and immunization supplies and allows all countries to buy a given product at the same low price. The fund provides countries a 60-day line of credit for purchases, and PAHO/WHO staff handle all aspects of planning and consolidation of demand, negotiations with producers, placement of purchase orders, coordination with suppliers and monitoring of shipments, as well as financial aspects involving paying suppliers and billing countries. In turn, participating countries contribute 3% of the net purchase price on their orders to provide working capital for the fund. Countries can also get PAHO/WHO assistance in forecasting vaccine demand, monitoring vaccination coverage, and other areas of immunization planning. In 2012, 39 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean purchased 60 different products through the Revolving Fund, worth a total of US$518 million. This included more than 200 million doses of vaccine containing 28 different antigens, including newer vaccines such as rotavirus, pneumococcal and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines…

Full release: http://new.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8598&Itemid