Montrose carried out a value chain analysis to assess the current situation of the in-country malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test (mRDT) supply chain.
Malaria Consortium, together with partners, implemented a three-year UNITAID-funded multi-country project geared towards promoting use of mRDTs in the private sector in order to improve malaria case management.
Implementation commenced in the 9 pilot Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Ogun, Anambra and Cross-river states in August 2014.
To assess the current situation of the in-country mRDT supply chain a value chain analysis was required. This enabled the identification of the drivers, constraints, and opportunities as well as an understanding of the behaviour of customers in the 9 pilot phase LGAs and for scale-up into the other 50 LGAs in the project states.
Solution
Montrose was contracted to undertake the value chain analysis (VCA) of quality assured mRDT in 9 pilot and 50 scale-up LGAs. The objectives of the VCA were:
To carry out a rapid mid-term assessment and understand the current mRDT market following implementation of the UNITAID private sector mRDT project intervention in the 9 LGAs.
To carry out a rapid qualitative baseline assessment of the current mRDT market in a sample of the new 50 LGAs and uncover possible challenges/barriers to market penetration into these areas.
To assess the performance of the first-line buyers: Codix and SHI Logistics in delivery of the RDT bundle.
Identify factors within the supply chain that are affecting uptake of mRDTs in the three states and uncover possible solutions for circumventing these identified factors.
Identify key short, medium and long term opportunities to increase demand for mRDTs in the private sector.
To assess the effectiveness of support provided directly by Malaria Consortium at different levels of the supply chain.
To review the state specific mRDT price determinants.
To conduct a situational analysis of the partners involved in the mRDT supply chain nationally and at the state level.
To identify areas where the project model has got a competitive edge against other players in the mRDT market.
Impact
The goal of the VCA was to increase the appropriate use of quality-assured RDTs in private sector outlets within beneficiary malaria-endemic countries by increasing their uptake in private sector markets through targeted activities.
