SARPAM is the Southern African Regional Programme on Access to Medicines and Diagnostics. The design phase of SARPAM launched in January 2010 and formal approval for funding implementation of the programme over the next 3-4 years will be made at the end of 2010.
This regional programme is being developed in the belief that effective collective action and innovation will improve Access to Medicines across the regional economic community. Working with member state governments, civil society, regional institutions, international agencies, research networks and the private sector, SARPAM proposes to support the good work being done through existing partnerships and initiatives, as well as identify new Partnerships for Action that will achieve ambitious results over the next few years.
The programme is being designed to offer new resources in the form of targeted funding, technical assistance, partnership building and networking opportunities.
As the primary sponsor of this new initiative, the UK Government hopes that SARPAM will develop into a platform for collaboration and partnership that will attract a broad support base over the next 4-5 years. This could create significant opportunities to substantially improve the marketplace for good quality essential medicines.
SARPAM offers to support and strengthen the capacity of regional institutions to implement plans that will benefit from multi-country action. The SADC Pharmaceutical Business Plan endorsed by regional Ministers of Health in 2007 is the leading example of this.
Civil Society Organizations within the region will be supported to lead Partnerships for Action that have the potential to positively influence the pharmaceutical market, including the demand for medicines and their rational use.
The regional Medicines InfoHub is being established to make transparent pharmaceutical market intelligence and evidence for policy accessible to all stakeholders in the region.
SARPAM has been undertaking an intensive Pharmaceutical Sector Market Analysis during the first 9 months of 2010 to provide a baseline understanding of the market for medicines. A regional Evidence for Action Network will be supported as part of the Global Access to Medicines Research Network to set the agenda for research and to make research findings available as global public goods.
