Financing Medicine and Supplies in Sindh Province, Pakistan

In Pakistan, health is a devolved subject managed independently at the sub-national level following the passageof the 18th Constitutional Amendment in 2010. This gives each province authority over their healthcare systems,including medicine and supplies procurement. As a result, each province has developed its own unique practicesfor procuring essential health supplies – contextualized to local needs, resources, and administrative frameworks.This factsheet focuses specifically on the procurement and financing practices in Pakistan’s province of Sindh.It looks at the procurement process, financial flow, budgeting and utilization, as well as the bottlenecks andlimitations of the overall procurement landscape for essential medicines and health supplies (EMHS) in theprovince of Sindh.Sindh’s procurement landscape for EMHS involves participation and oversight from multiple parties. EMHS in Sindhare funded by the provincial government. There are a few ongoing initiatives, where development partners partlymanage the medicines supplies through in-kind support. However, the administrative arrangements, resourcesenvelope, procurements practices for those vertical programs are beyond the scope of this factsheet