A major constraint in the global fight against noncommunicable diseases is the reliable availability and affordability of medicines, diagnostics, and equipment. Without this being tackled, scaling-up the screening and management of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), as part of the aspiration for universal health coverage will be much more difficult. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a mechanism that helps countries, especially the poorer ones, to get value-for-money in their procurement, alongside ensuring quality and continuity of supplies.
The most efficient way to do this is a marketplace where numerous buyers and sellers can get together to trade. Experience suggests that in such an arrangement, competition among sellers would result in lower prices and, in addition, sellers would access more buyers that could result in greater sales volumes for them. For buyers – government health ministries and other providers of healthcare – the reduction in the prices they have to pay would allow them to reach more people who need NCD screening, treatment, and care. Achieving this outcome is the aim of the Defeat-NCD Partnership Marketplace.
The Defeat-NCD Partnership Marketplace is an easy-to-use online facility specifically designed to reduce barriers and costs so that quality-assured medicines, diagnostics, and associated equipment get to where they are needed, speedily and reliably. This Marketplace is a centerpiece of the Defeat-NCD Partnership’s Essential Supplies Procurement and Distribution Facility.
The key objectives of the Defeat-NCD Partnership Marketplace are:
- Firstly, to create a competitive environment serving the interests of both Buyers and Suppliers.
- Secondly, ensuring that the underlying technology is easily scalable at a global level.
- Finally, providing transparency of process that helps to build mutual trust and confidence.
Whom does the Defeat-NCD Partnership Marketplace really serve?
Buyers
From a buyer’s perspective, the Defeat-NCD Partnership Marketplace is designed to serve the needs of governments and approved healthcare providers. Buyers will be invited to join the Defeat-NCD Partnership Marketplace to access NCD-related diagnostics, medicines, and equipment, and by using the pooled purchasing power of multiple countries, they will receive better value-for-money in their purchases.
Suppliers
From a supplier’s perspective, the Defeat-NCD Partnership Marketplace is designed to provide greater visibility and predictability of demand. Similar to buyers, suppliers will be invited to join the Defeat-NCD Partnership Marketplace to showcase their NCD-related diagnostics, medicines, and equipment. In a competitive environment, supplier prices will naturally be lower, but since a marketplace is an aggregation of buyers, suppliers gain access to more buyers.
The natural tension between buyers who seek lower prices, and suppliers requiring greater sales volumes to justify lowering prices, is why an online marketplace is an efficient economic model. This is why the Defeat-NCD Partnership sees our online marketplace as a key component of our mission.
What’s next?
For more information about the Defeat-NCD Partnership Marketplace, please contact at: marketplace@defeat-ncd.org.