Procuring Medical Items from Asia – Pilot

MSF Logistique – the entity responsible for much of the MSF’s procurement – currently sources most of its materials from European suppliers. However, there are strong markets for many of the products that MSF routinely uses across South, Southeast and East Asia. Within those markets, there are several viable producers from which MSF could purchase materials for use in our field projects. We believe these items could be cheaper and create shorter supply chains, especially for MSF field projects located in Asia. Shorter supply lines could reduce the risk of stock ruptures, cut transportation costs and reduce our environmental impact.

In 2019, the Japan Innovation Unit, MSF Logistique and the MSF International Office began researching procurement opportunities in Asia. Since MSF is largely unfamiliar with Asian markets, our unit’s location and particular logistics and procurement expertise are huge comparative advantages for this task.