An Analysis of Pharmaceutical Lending by the World Bank
The World Bank (WB) began to lend for health, nutrition, and population (HNP) in the late 1970s. Today, the Bank has become the single largest external source of HNP financing in low- and middle-income countries. The Bank's activities in the H...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2013
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2004/09/5621115/analysis-pharmaceutical-lending-world-bank http://hdl.handle.net/10986/13730 |
| Summary: | The World Bank (WB) began to lend for
health, nutrition, and population (HNP) in the late 1970s.
Today, the Bank has become the single largest external
source of HNP financing in low- and middle-income countries.
The Bank's activities in the HNP sector are based on
the rationale that investments in health, nutrition, and
population constitute an investment in human capital that is
necessary for enhanced welfare, reduced poverty and
sustainable growth. During fiscal years (FY) 1999 to 2002,
the World Bank approved 683 lending projects in all sectors,
with a total lending amount of US$ 38,306 million (2001
prices). During the same period of time, the World Bank
approved 65 HNP lending projects, with a total cumulative
value of US$ 3,298 million (2001 prices). The Bank has been
financing pharmaceutical activities within the HNP portfolio
since 1983. In total, the Bank has provided financing for
pharmaceuticals in over 100 HNP projects in all six regions.
According to the results of the present research, contracts
for the procurement of pharmaceuticals and medical products
(PMP) under Bank financed projects from FY 1999 to FY 2002
accounted for almost 36 percent of the procurement of goods
in HNP, and for 18 percent of the total HNP procurement
activity including goods, civil works, consulting and other
services. Despite the increased interest in pharmaceuticals,
lending in this area has been conducted without the guidance
of an explicit operational policy on pharmaceuticals. While
the World Bank has produced a number of policy papers and
reports on pharmaceuticals, these are not considered
operational policy. In this situation, good practices and
implicit policy guide the pharmaceutical activities of the
HNP sector and the Bank's pharmaceutical activities. |
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