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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Varuni Dayaratna, MPA¹, Roberto Lopez², and Veronica Betancourt, PhD¹. (1) Futures Group, A Constella Company, One Thomas Circle, NW, Suite 200, Washington DC, DC 20005, 202-777-0706, vdayaratna@futuresgroup.com, (2) Accion Internacional para la Salud, Aptdo. 41-128, Lima, Peru

For over three decades, countries in Latin America have relied on donations from international agencies such as USAID to meet the contraceptive needs of their populations. These donations are now coming to an end: for example, El Salvador, Peru, and the Dominican Republic are no longer receiving donated contraceptives from USAID, and Guatemala will cease receiving them in the very near future. Financing and procuring contraceptives will soon become the responsibility of national governments. As governments take over the responsibility of procuring contraceptives with public sector funds, each country will need to consider its own national laws and norms that regulate the process of procuring goods and services with public sector funds.

This presentation presents findings and recommendations from a study of procurement policies and options in eight countries in the region. It highlights legal and regulatory barriers to procurement of contraceptives (and other medicines) in these countries, and discusses some new and innovative procurement options, which are both legally viable and efficient, that are currently being used in the region.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will

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• Have a fuller appreciation of the need for proper legal and regulatory frameworks for sustainable health services delivery. (
• Be able to describe procurement mechanisms that are legally viable and result in the timely availability of low-priced, good-quality contraceptives.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation