Safe, Affordable, and Effective Medicines for Ukrainians (SAFEMed)
Safe, Affordable, and Effective Medicines for Ukrainians (SAFEMed)
Resiliency in Times of War
The mission of the SAFEMed Activity took on a new sense of urgency when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Thanks to years of groundwork, the country was able to swiftly adapt and manage wartime challenges.
SAFEMed helped the government distribute 12,800 tons of humanitarian supplies worth around $500 million to health care facilities across Ukraine. We also helped facilitate and monitor the supply chain system to ensure that humanitarian assistance can continue to flow into Ukraine.
In the midst of war, SAFEMed supported the MOH and its central procurement agency in adapting and expanding its supply chain tools, including the MedData platform that now tracks in real time the nation’s blood supply as well as medicines and supplies.
In addition, we helped roll out two new digital platforms: eStock and MedSupply. Along with MedData, these systems help streamline supply chain functions, increase transparency, and improve coordination between the health ministry and facilities, suppliers, and partners nationwide.
With support from SAFEMed, Ukraine’s Affordable Medicines Program has benefited more than 5 million patients, providing coverage for over 540 medicines and medical devices while continuing to expand despite the uncertainties of the war.
We helped local partner Patients of Ukraine operate a call center that responded to over 4,000 calls regarding treatment options and health care rights, providing a lifeline for patients including those who have been displaced or affected by the war.
SAFEMed supports the MOH’s mission to ensure that Ukrainians in remote and war-affected areas have uninterrupted access to essential medicines. Through a robust communication campaign, we informed patients and health workers about how they can utilize mobile pharmacies in frontline regions.
What began as a pilot project to improve access to essential medicines has become a vital resource for a country engulfed in war. SAFEMed staff and partners continue to support Ukraine throughout this crisis and enhance the country’s pharmaceutical systems.
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 Medical Procurement of Ukraine (MPU). The development of this agency continues to help reduce patients’ out-of-pocket expenses and further ensure that Ukrainians can access lifesaving medicines and health commodities for HIV, TB, COVID-19, and more.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, SAFEMed played an important role in keeping the country’s supply chain intact and ensuring that humanitarian medical supplies reach the people who need them most. 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 medical supply and health workforce gaps.
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 maintained 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 within the medicines market authorization agency known as the State Expert Center in 2019
- Supported the expansion and digitalization of Ukraine’s Affordable Medicines Program, which provides access to essential prescription 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 that HIV and TB medicines reach every region
A Test of Resilience: How Ukraine’s Vaccine Distribution System Withstands War
Medicines Reimbursement Program: Bringing Care Closer to the Patient
The Ministry of Health of Ukraine partnered with the USAID SAFEMed Activity to launch the Affordable Medicines Program (AMP) in 2017, to improve access to outpatient medications for people with chronic health conditions. Since then, the program has expanded to cover over 400 medicines and other medical commodities. Despite the ongoing war, the AMP has grown and adapted to meet the needs of Ukrainians, reaching more than 4.6 million patients as of May 2024.
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