PSI

Essay: The Target

By Angus Spiers

As the Roll Back Malaria Partnership moves towards the 2010 Abuja target deadline, PSI is proud to be the largest distributor of insecticide treated mosquito nets in the world. PSI will deliver its 100 millionth net in 2010 – the total number of nets since it began distribution 12 years ago. Only through a strong commitment to reaching scale and a flexible and pragmatic approach to delivery can these goals be achieved.

PSI now delivers nets in 30 countries, and a key driver of growth has been the recent push to distribute long-lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs) – to “scale-up for impact.” In 2010 alone, PSI will deliver 30 million LLINs, often in extremely difficult conditions. In November 2009, PSI was a key partner in Guinea’s successful national distribution of 3.5 million LLINs despite social and political instability, lack of funds and limited preparation time. Similarly, in southern Sudan, PSI worked with the Ministry of Health to distribute 1.9 million nets despite the inhospitable terrain and post-conflict insecurity.

A reputation for effective procurement and delivery has led to PSI being selected as the procurement agent for the Voluntary Pooled Procurement (VPP) mechanism created by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The VPP will procure more than 60 million LLINs by the end of 2010, 30 million for Nigeria alone. In Uganda, the 2010 LLIN campaign would not have moved forward without PSI/VPP support and that of PACE, the local PSI affiliate. PACE will support the Ministry of Health to deliver 7.3 million LLINs to regional distribution points throughout Uganda, with PACE delivering 4.2 million of those directly to the beneficiaries. VPP and PSI will also work together to directly distribute 8.9 million LLINs in Côte d’Ivoire later in 2010.

Looking to the future, current levels of malaria funding are less secure as donors focus on more systemic solutions to health problems in the push for the 2015 Millennium Development Goals. As a result, PSI will likely see a shift towards routine LLIN distribution, an area where PSI has unparalleled experience. In Kenya, on behalf of the Ministry of Health, PSI delivers LLINs directly to pregnant women and young children for free through antenatal clinics and at highly subsidized prices through rural shops. This six-year-old program, funded primarily by the U.K. Department for International Development, now delivers 2.5-3.5 million LLINs annually, and points to the long-term future of sustainable LLIN delivery.

PSI also distributes LLINs nationwide through public and private channels on behalf of, and in conjunction with, Ministries of Health in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia. PSI is also working towards ensuring that free nets are available in all public health facilities for pregnant women and children under five in all relevant malaria endemic areas.

As the malaria funding environment changes, PSI will remain flexible in its LLIN distribution approach to ensure that all available channels are appropriately utilized to maximize health impact under local epidemiological, policy and funding conditions.

Angus Spiers is Deputy Director of the Malaria and Child Survival Department.

Related content by category
Health Areas: Child Survival, Malaria