Regional: Regional Support to Address the Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Potential Outbreaks of Other Communicable Diseases

Health / Disease control of communicable disease

The PRC and other countries in the region have taken immediate action to respond to the outbreak. Despite the quick action taken, there are several gaps in the overall response efforts, as identified by WHO and other development partners. These are: (i) inadequate resources to strengthen the range of services for outbreak response; (ii) Paucity of robust economic analysis and other evidence to support decision-making; and (iii) weak regional multisectoral coordination mechanisms.

The TA will incorporate lessons learned from; following (i) the implementation of the Regional Malaria and Other Communicable Disease Threats Trust Fund;5F (ii) TA on Regional Support to Address the Outbreak of SARS, and (iii) the Grant Assistance for Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza in Asia and the Pacific, the Greater Mekong Subregion's Strengthening Regional Health Cooperation TA and Health Security Project.6F_A major lesson is that flexible implementation arrangements and focus on the actual needs of DMCs for communicable disease control (i.e., hospital equipment, training and communication programs), together with the multi-sector and cross-departmental collaboration in ADB and between ADB and partner organizations such as the WHO, all contributed to the success of above-mentioned projects. These projects also highlighted the importance to provide not only country level assistance but also to coordinate interventions at the regional level and the establishment of regional coordination mechanisms similar to the working group spearheading the implementation of the GMS Regional Health Cooperation Strategy.

Health outcomes in Asia and the Pacific improved (ADB Strategy 2030)a; Increased number of people benefiting from improved health services, education services, or social protection (OP1)b; and Increased number of regional public goods initiatives successfully reducing cross- border environmental or health risks, or providing regional access to education services (OP7)c

DMCs' capacities to prevent and contain outbreaks of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases strengthened

Support to DMCs affected and potentially affected by COVID-19 and other communicable diseases provided

Economic and health system assessments on the potential effect of COVID-19 conducted

Regional multisectoral coordination mechanisms strengthened

Output 1. Procurement, Portfolio and Financial Management Department (PPFD) has arranged the contracting of Medtecs Cambodia and the IDA Foundation to supply $11.05 million worth of personal protective equipment (PPEs) to 13 DMCs. PPFD has also arranged a logistic contract not-to-exceed with Kuehne and Nagel for the delivery of the personal protective equipment. Medtecs has completed 91% of deliveries, while IDA Foundation has completed 59% of deliveries. A total of $18 million of support for 26 DMCs for the procurement and delivery of PPEs, testing kits, thermal scanners, ventilators and other goods is being implemented through the Administrative Arrangement and its three Supplemental Arrangements between ADB and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), with deliveries to DMCs ongoing. Regional departments have supported Armenia, Georgia, and Turkmenistan to procure about $1.37 million worth of diagnostic equipment and supplies.

Output 2. The TA supported the undertaking of a costbenefit analysis of the COVID-19 control options in the Philippines, and the preparation of guidance notes on interventions for COVID-19 response and strengthening of health security, and on reviving the economy and resuming travel and tourism. It also supported an updated brief on the economic impact of COVID-19.

Output 3. The TA engaged a risk communication firm to help India, Myanmar and the Philippines develop communication strategies; a capacity building firm to conduct online training for all DMCs; and a consulting firm to help the Government of India improve its COVID-19 response through support for the development of a pandemic road map, the use of digital technologies, and health system strengthening to detect and respond to future outbreaks. It also engaged individual consultants and resource persons to increase countries' capacity in key COVID-19 response areas, including laboratory management, border health, water and sanitation, pandemic preparedness and response planning, and digital health advisory services.

Output 4. The TA engaged a risk communication firm to help India, Myanmar and the Philippines develop communication strategies; a capacity building firm to conduct online training for all DMCs; and a consulting firm to help the Government of India improve its COVID-19 response through support for the development of a pandemic road map, the use of digital technologies, and health system strengthening to detect and respond to future outbreaks. It also engaged individual consultants and resource persons to increase countries' capacity in key COVID-19 response areas, including laboratory management, border health, water and sanitation, pandemic preparedness and response planning, and digital health advisory services.

The TA will require a total of 1,134 person-months of service from individual international and national consultants. Consultants will be engaged through individual selection to provide 425 person-months of international consultant service and 709 person-months of national consultant service. ADB will engage the consultants and carry out procurement following the ADB Procurement Policy (2017, as amended from time to time) and its associated TA staff instructions. Consultants will be initially work from home, then as and when feasible, may be mobilized to field.

The TA will require a total of 1,725 person-months of service from sixteen consulting firms: a risk communication firm; a frontline health worker capacity building firm; a traveler's health policy advisory firm; a vaccine policy advisory firm; a health system strengthening firm; a pandemic response firm; three vaccine advisory firms; a vaccine knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) surveys firm; an immunization information systems (IIS) firm; two health capacity building firms; a vaccine logistics management firm; a vaccine regulation firm; a feasibility study firm; and a vaccine communications firm. The firms will be engaged through the single source selection method. The risk communication firm will be engaged to provide 10 person-months of international consultant service and 15 person-months of national consultant service. The frontline health worker capacity building firm will be engaged to provide 23 person-months of international consultant service and 9 person-months of national consultant service. The traveler's health policy advisory firm will be engaged to provide 16 person-months of international consultant service. The COVID-19 vaccine policy advisory firm will be engaged to provide 45 person-months of international consultants and 30 person-months of national consultant service. The health system strengthening firm will be engaged to provide 150 person-months of national consultant service. The pandemic response firm will be engaged to provide 192 person-months of national consultant service. Each vaccine advisory firm will be engaged to provide 80 person-months of international consultant service and 90 person-months of national person-months consultant service. The KAP surveys firm will be engaged to provide 50 person-months of international consultant service and 50 person-months of national consultant service. The IIS firm will be engaged to provide 50 person-months of international consultant service and 50 person-months of national consultant service. Each health capacity building firm will be engaged to provide 30 person-months of international consultant service and 5 person-months of national person-months consultant service. The vaccine logistics management firm will be engaged to provide 120 person-months of international consultant service and 80 person-months of national consultant service. The vaccine regulation firm will be engaged to provide 60 person-months of international consultant service and 50 person-months of national consultant service. The feasibility study firm will be engaged to provide 40 person-months of international consultant service and 30 person-months of national consultant service. The vaccine communications firm will be engaged to provide 50 person-months of international consultant service and 25 person-months of national consultant service. ADB will engage the firms and carry out procurement following the ADB Procurement Policy (2017, as amended from time to time) and its associated TA staff instructions.