NATIONAL MALARIA ELIMINATION PROGRAMME (NMEP)
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF HEALTH, ABUJA
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) –
ENGAGEMENT OF REPUTABLE AGENCIES FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE MALARIA CASE MANAGEMENT TRANSITION PLAN IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR FOR NMEP

While Nigeria has made significant progress in the control of HIV, TB, and malaria (ATM) over the last two decades, the three infectious diseases continue to constitute major public health problems in the country. Over the years, the country has established various platforms and mechanisms to review its performance in the three disease areas and proffer policy and programmatic recommendations for improvement.

The private health care sector in Nigeria is complex and heterogeneous in activities and types of services provided. The private sector provides a huge opportunity to leverage increased coverage for malaria control interventions, but this opportunity is currently grossly underutilized. The involvement of the private sector in the national malaria response is currently poorly organized, sparsely documented and inadequately acknowledged. Nigeria national malaria response would benefit from an innovative framework for engaging the private sector.

Nigeria made considerable progress in the provision of subsidized Artemisinin-based combination therapies to the private sector supply chain as a strategy to increase the availability of the commodity in the sector, under the Affordable Medicine Facility malaria (AMFm) and its successor, the Private Sector Co-Payment Mechanism (PSCM), during the period 2010–2018. The AMFm and the PSCM impacted positively on the market as the country made giant strides not only in the supply, but also in awareness/demand creation, acceptability, and availability of the commodity, creating a huge market, and made Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) the drugs of choice in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria.

When the PCSM ended in 2017, it was perceived that the private sector, or indeed the country, was at risk of reversing the gains made because it would be left to the vagaries of market forces. It became necessary to put together a plan to address the perceived challenges. Thus, the Co-Payment Transition Plan for ACTs and Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) was developed, for the period 2019–2021, to manage the transition from subsidized commodity to a market system driven sector in a coordinated manner. It also explores the most appropriate platform via which the government can support local manufacturers of ACTs in Nigeria.

The Plan focuses on the two case management commodities (ACTs and RDTs) for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria and synchronizes with the 2021–2025 National Malaria Strategic Plan. The goal of the transition plan is to facilitate national action towards meeting the National Malaria Elimination Program’s (NMEP) vision that all households in Nigeria, irrespective of their economic condition, gender and any other barriers to access, can get tested for fever cases and treat positive cases of malaria with WHO PQ ACTs.

This is seeking expression of Interest from reputable private-sector agencies to partner with the NMEP for the achievement of the vision of the transition plan through a market-driven approach for sustainability, including:
1.Increasing knowledge, awareness, and use of quality-assured commodities within the country
2.Increasing availability and affordability of quality-assured ACTs and MRDTs in the private sector.
3.Strengthening of distribution networks for malaria commodities including in the rural and hard to reach areas of the country
4.Increasing availability of quality-assured local manufacturing of ACTs/MRDTs to harness emerging opportunities.
5.Establishment of a sustainable national mechanism for collecting private sector data and disseminating findings including any specific corrective strategic actions

SPECIFICATION:
The private sector partners are expected to be:
1.Local manufacturers of Artemisinin-based combination therapies for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria
2.Local Manufacturers of Malaria rapid diagnostics test strips for the diagnosis of malaria
3.Local importers of Artemisinin-based combination therapies for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria
4.Local importers of Malaria rapid diagnostics test strip for the diagnosis of malaria
5.International manufacturers of mRDTs and ACTs with a local presence, or willing to establish locally for the provision of malaria commodities (mRDT, ACTs)