In response to your question, we will be answering from our point of view as a manufacturer/supplier of Long-Lasting Factory-Treated Mosquito Nets.
From this point of view we would really like to thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to voice our views as a manufacturer/supplier. We do hope that our contribution will be useful to the Global Fund.
Our particular area of specialization is therefore the prevention of Malaria and the consequent saving of lives in Malaria prone countries such as Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique etc.
In order for the Global Fund to have assured on-going and increasing funding from Donors for Country Projects involving the funding and distribution of Long-Lasting Nets it is vital that the Global Fund can show that: 1) funds are used correctly – i.e. that a proportion is not eaten up in unnecessary ‘admin’ etc. in each of the countries by buying nets directly from reputable local manufacturers/suppliers 2) that the funds are used quickly to purchase and promptly distribute nets to prevent meaningless deaths due to bureaucracy etc. 3) that value for money is achieved through the disbursement of the funding i.e. that the Global Fund buys nets which meet all international requirements in each of their Country Projects at the lowest costs thereby maximizing donor funding and preventing a greater % of deaths due to Malaria 4) that the funding and allocation of the funding remains neutral
It is therefore vital that the Global Fund needs to be aware of the fact that funding and prompt distribution can be maximized by the procurement of products that meet international standards which are locally available in each country.
Our personal experience in this arena which could be helpful to the Global Fund being able to improve the continuity of funding and allow ambitious scaling-up is as follows:
1) NGO’s and Govt. Departments involved in the purchase and distribution of nets are not entirely au fait with Global Fund Guidelines
2) There is a lack of current technological information. We are a Zimbabwean and Botswana based manufacturer of factory-treated longer-lasting nets using the active ingredient of deltamethrine (Bayer’s K O Tab 1-2-3) which is comparative to other insecticides which are WHO approved (i.e. they are all at the same level of approval – WHOPES Phase III). There is a certain amount of resistance due to the fact that agencies etc. are misinformed and under the impression that our net (PrevetaNET® factory-treated with K O Tab 1-2-3) is not WHOPES approved. It is therefore important that the Global Fund is possessed of up-to-date information regarding the above and is able to provide this information to the relative NGO’s etc involved as there seems to be a great lack of correct information on the ground.
3) Since our nets meet international standards and are available at a very competitive price (incl. distribution to District Level) it would be advantageous for the Global Fund to therefore purchase directly from manufacturers/suppliers such as ourselves under the watchful eye of Ministry of Health, Local Fund Agent i.e. Price Waterhouse or reputable auditor/accounting firm who will effect payment on completion of delivery to recipients at District Level direct to the manufacturer/supplier in the respective countries thereby saving donor funding and valuable time/lives.
4) As soon as funding is available immediate purchase of nets should be made so that they can be distributed immediately. This is where the advantage of having a relationship with reputable local manufacturers and suppliers comes in as goods are available immediately at source (no need to import, incur extra costs such as duties etc.). In our case we keep a buffer stock of 1.5million nets at any time in order to be able to respond to urgent orders/ relief efforts because as well as being a commercial company we are dedicated to saving lives.
5) It is vital to support local industry – especially in the current economic climate. Since we are based in Botswana and Zimbabwe we can supply immediately as opposed to importing the goods which can take weeks and incur extra costs. Companies such as ourselves employ hundreds of people and it would be advantageous to support local companies so as to ensure their growth and continuation. At present we are based, as mentioned in Botswana and Zimbabwe, but with greater support of our product we would be able to expand operations to Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi – thereby in the greater scheme of things improving local industry and providing much-needed employment in these areas. (Our group of companies has been operating successfully in the Southern African Region since 1969 and is one of the biggest textile companies in the region -providing quality products at competitive prices).