Health supplies

Despite major disruptions to global supply chains, UNICEF has been working around the clock to  deliver critical supplies where they are needed most. Discover the items UNICEF is procuring and delivering around the world., COVID-19 vaccines, UNICEF has all-hands-on deck to procure and supply COVID-19 vaccines and other equipment to countries around the world. UNICEF does this in a variety of ways, including through pooled funding initiatives such as COVAX and by supporting countries through our Procurement Services. As the largest single vaccine buyer in the world, UNICEF is uniquely…, Personal protective equipment, The proper use of quality-assured PPE is crucial to prevent exposure to COVID-19. PPE includes medical masks, gowns, goggles, gloves, face shields and other items that are used by frontline health care and other essential workers to keep safe from infectious diseases. UNICEF is working to ensure PPE is affordable and accessible for countries., Diagnostics, The early and accurate detection of COVID-19 is critical to allow countries to trace and control the spread of the virus. Since the start of the pandemic, labs around the world have been using molecular PCR tests to detect the virus that causes COVID-19. While these provide an almost definitive result, they require laboratory infrastructure and…, Therapeutics, Therapeutic interventions are a critical part of the COVID-19 response. By ensuring patients have access to treatments that reduce the severity of COVID-19, lives can be saved across the world. UNICEF is focused on providing access to several therapeutics including dexamethasone and oxygen therapy.

The challenge, Our work to deliver healthcare, education and protection for children cannot begin without ensuring that the products and services we choose are safe and of superior quality. UNICEF is responsible for a wide range of products: medicines, therapeutic food, school supplies and hygiene items are just a few examples. Evaluating these requires a range…, More to explore, The solution, A baby receives treatment for severe malnutrition at Moroto Regional, Uganda, in May 2017. UNICEF dedicates a lot of care and attention to detail to make sure we only deliver products that are safe for children and of the best available quality. We apply the highest international standards and regulatory frameworks to all the products we procure,…, Pharmaceutical and nutrition products, All UNICEF procurement of pharmaceutical and nutrition products must be carried out by our global supply hub in Copenhagen, where a team of quality assurance specialists – including experienced pharmacists – ensure that medicines and therapeutic food meet quality standards. Without dedicated pharmacists, UNICEF Country Offices are not allowed to…, Non-pharmaceutical products, Quality assurance specialists inspect and evaluate products that include school supplies as well as health supplies like syringes, rapid diagnostic tests for HIV and malaria, and insecticide-treated bed nets. They also ensure that suppliers consistently apply and maintain their certified Quality Management Systems (QMS) – a set of policies,…, Here are four areas where UNICEF is involved:  , 1. Sample evaluations, All potential suppliers submit product samples. UNICEF evaluates them to ensure they meet contract specifications and appropriate international standards. We conduct basic mechanical testing and inspection in a laboratory, including textile material tensile strength, bursting strength and dimensional stability. Product safety is a key attribute we…, 2. Site inspections, Manufacturing sites are inspected to make sure suppliers are aware of UNICEF requirements and a working QMS is applied to the products supplied to UNICEF. Site inspections can also cover social accountability and environmental aspects.  , 3. Goods receipt inspection, Products we purchase are checked for compliance to specifications, packaging, documentation, quality of workmanship and shelf life, among other criteria.  , 4. Pre-delivery inspection and supervision of loading, If a delivery is made directly from a supplier to the destination, rather than to UNICEF warehouses, UNICEF contracts third-party agents who conduct inspections on our behalf at the supplier’s premises as soon as a shipment is ready.  , Collaborating with the World Health Organization (WHO), The WHO is an important partner in setting safety standards and guidelines for sensitive health products like medicines and nutrition products. It also pre-qualifies and regularly inspects vaccine manufacturers that supply vaccines to UNICEF. Find out more about regulating and controlling welcome-to-vaccines-prequalification vaccine quality .  , How UNICEF ensures children have access to top-quality education supplies, In times of conflict, UNICEF stays, delivers and we do everything in our power to advocate for the protection, safety and rights of all children. We never give up.

The challenge, The healthcare needs of children and mothers around the world are wide in range and demanding in terms of solutions. To prevent, diagnose and treat diseases that threaten children’s lives, health technologies must solve problems such as: Providing accurate, rapid diagnoses of health threats like malaria and HIV that enable timely, appropriate…, Resources, The solution, UNICEF collaborates with partners and industry to supply health technologies that work for children. These are the primary focus areas where UNICEF procures supplies and influences product innovations:   Diagnostics and prevention Laboratory technician Lydia Nyatte uses Early Infant Diagnosis machine to test blood samples for HIV at the Ebolowa…

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide information about insulin products available through UNICEF Supply Division, related products to support the use of insulin and cold chain storage and shipping requirements. To support UNICEF’s overarching global commitments and countries to have adequate and sustainable access to affordable and quality…

Point-of-care (POC)/Near POC virologic technologies for HIV early infant diagnosis (EID) and viral load (VL) monitoring are automated or semi-automated systems for nucleic acid detection. These systems are integrated and typically comprised of an instrument platform, protocol software, and disposable test cartridges. The cartridges contain all…

Rapid and accurate diagnosis of malaria is critical, and especially in young children and pregnant women, as left untreated it can rapidly progress towards severe disease and death. The use of quality assured diagnostics with high specificity reduces unnecessary administration of antimalarial drugs and improves management of other causes of…

The Interagency Emergency Health Kit 2017 (IEHK2017) has been updated to take into account the intersessional changes to the IEHK2017 PEP kit. The changes were based on the updated WHO recommendations on the first line and second line antiretroviral regimens and post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) . The IEHK PEP kit contains medicines for emergency…

The kit contains basic drugs, renewable medical supplies, medical equipment, surgical instruments, and basic sterilisation and resuscitation equipment for health facilities to handle an average of 100 deliveries, including 50 with complications and surgery (with an average of 25 caesarean sections). The kit is intended for use by trained personnel…

The kit contains basic drugs, renewable medical supplies, medical equipment and basic sterilisation and resuscitation equipment for health facilities to perform an average of 50 normal deliveries.

The composition of the full AWD kit package was reviewed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners and contains six kits divided into modules that can be ordered separately to best adapt to the needs of each context.  

All suppliers, as part of our Tender calendars tender process , are requested to complete this product questionnaire for each product they supply to UNICEF.      

This questionnaire for Medicines pharmaceutical manufacturers must be completed and returned to UNICEF Supply Division with all requested documents attached. This information is requested in addition to the information requested through the registration at United Nations Global Market Place.