Capacity Building and Access to Medicines

Current phase: 2008–2014
Project budget: $10 million

The Capacity Building and Access to Medicines (CBAM) project supports the Government of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). This project’s purpose is to help Afghans receive the priority medicines and medical supplies they need. A specific emphasis is being placed on providing these medicines and medical supplies to women and children.

Some of the important activities of the project, which has been developed by Health Partners International of Canada, are to:

• Deliver $25 million worth of priority Canadian pharmaceuticals to Afghans
• Improve the coordination of pharmaceutical donations at a national level
• Improve the ability of the MoPH Central Medical Warehouse to manage the handling and distribution of medicines and supplies
• Improve the ability of the MoPH Quality Control Laboratory to ensure that medicines of high quality are available to the Afghan population
• Identify opportunities that will enhance the local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry’s development in Afghanistan

Progress to date:

To date, the CBAM project has:

• Provided more than $600,000 worth of donated items to assist the Government of Afghanistan in its response to the H1N1 flu. These items include antibiotics and disinfectants for use in public hospitals.
• Created partnerships with the MoPH, the United Nations and non-government organizations that currently support the pharmaceutical sector in Afghanistan.
• Completed an assessment of the MoPH Central Medical Warehouse by observing the flow of medicines and supplies, and identifying areas of improvement in supply chain management.

Related Links

• Health Partners International Canada
• Ministry of Public Health Afghanistan