The Essential Medicines Program and Logistics Support Center (PROMESE/CAL) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) signed a technical cooperation agreement that seeks to establish the bases and mechanisms for collaboration in the area of sexual and reproductive health.
The agreement was signed by Adolfo Pérez, director of PROMESE/CAL, and Sonia Vásquez, national representative of UNFPA in the Dominican Republic, with the determination to collaborate jointly in the strengthening and implementation of population and development programs, sexual and reproductive health, gender equality and comprehensive youth development, particularly related to the care of vulnerable groups, to leave no one behind.
“Through this agreement PROMESE/CAL will be able to purchase reproductive health products and guarantee their access to the population, through the People’s Pharmacies,” said Adolfo Pérez. He also explained that this alliance will have the scope to implement programs, projects and activities that contribute to strengthening the rights of women, girls and young people to enjoy a life of dignity and equal opportunities.
The procurement processes of inputs and services agreed will be accompanied by technical assistance actions for the analysis, evaluation and monitoring of the population’s access to reproductive health products and services, taking into account the reality that the Dominican Republic has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality (107 per 100, 000 live births, in 2018[1]) and adolescent fertility (92 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19, in 2019[2]) in Latin America and the Caribbean, so reducing the figures and boosting prevention is a strategic intervention to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“We extend our congratulations to PROMESE/CAL for their openness to this technical assistance that we agreed today and for their genuine interest in assuming this commitment to guarantee the availability and continuous access to sexual and reproductive health supplies demanded by the population, including contraceptive methods, life-saving drugs for pregnant women, as well as other health supplies and medicines, including high-cost medicines and medicines for people living with HIV. The actions following this agreement will undoubtedly have a major impact on efforts to reduce or even eliminate the unmet need for family planning, teenage pregnancies, and maternal and neonatal mortality. “Sonia Vasquez emphasized in her speech.
About UNFPA
UNFPA is the United Nations system agency dedicated to sexual and reproductive health, contributing to a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe and every young person achieves their full potential. UNFPA assists governments in the formulation, adoption and implementation of inclusive development strategies and policies, and advocates for the guarantee of reproductive rights for all people, and helps ensure access to a full range of sexual and reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning, quality maternal health care and comprehensive sexuality education, leaving no one behind.
About PROMESE/CAL
The Essential Medicines Program and Logistics Support Center, Promese/Cal, is the only central supply center for medicines, health supplies and laboratory reagents for the National Health Service (SNS) hospital network. It also dispenses outpatient pharmaceuticals through its network of Farmacias del Pueblo, located throughout the country, benefiting more than 4 million Dominicans every month.
