Sub-Saharan African countries are making efforts to move rapidly towards universal health coverage. However, resources are limited and must be used wisely. Strategic purchasing is one approach to getting more value for money and ensuring equity. To support the implementation of strategic purchasing mechanisms in the healthcare sector, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has funded the establishment of the Strategic Purchasing Resource Center for Africa(SPARC), which aims to build the strategic purchasing capacity of countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
To this end, SPARC has partnered with a consortium of English- and French-speaking partners based in Africa, including Recherche pour la Santé et le Développement (RESADE ) in Burkina Faso, to measure and monitor progress in strategic purchasing in sub-Saharan Africa, with the aim of facilitating national and regional learning.
Since 2019, RESADE with the support of SPARC has produced evidence on the experience of implementing strategic purchasing interventions in Burkina Faso. As a first step, a Strategic Health Purchasing (SHP) progress mapping framework was developed. Next, this framework was used to map procurement functions, capabilities and governance arrangements in Burkina Faso. Finally, the impact of strategic purchasing functions and arrangements on i) improved resource allocation mechanisms, incentives and accountability, as well as on ii) health system outcomes such as equity, access, financial protection, quality, efficiency and financial sustainability, was assessed.
The results of the activities carried out by RESADE with the support of SPARC were presented during a workshop to stakeholders from the Ministry of Health, civil society, NGOs and technical and financial partners with an interest in strategic purchasing in Burkina Faso. The workshop also provided the basis for stakeholder engagement, joint identification of priorities for action to improve strategic purchasing practices, and the development of a roadmap for a holistic approach to strategic purchasing of priority health services in Burkina Faso.
