Improving accountability for insecticide-treated net distribution

The Issue

During the past 15 years, national malaria control programmes have distributed one billion insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). Given the scale of activities and the speed at which ITN distributions have scaled up, current best practices in preventing, identifying, and mitigating potential losses due to the fraud, theft, and diversion of ITNs needed to be summarized. Through PMI VectorWorks, a five-year $60 million global project aiming to scale up vector control for malaria prevention through improved distribution of ITNs, Tropical Health conducted an assessment of methods used to prevent, identify, and mitigate the impact of fraud, theft, and diversion of ITNs.

Our Approach

Tropical Health conducted an extensive document review, focusing on logistics plans, risk assessments, and commodity management audits. This was accompanied by key informant interviews with programme planners and ITN distribution experts in four countries. Results from the interviews and document review were organized into descriptions of types of risk at various points in the supply chain, frequency of loss events, and magnitude of risk. Current best practices for preventing and identifying fraud, theft and diversion were presented along with best practices for mitigating the impact of such events.

Our Findings

Tropical Health comprehensively assessed the types and levels of risk with ITN supply chain management systems, and the guide was disseminated widely within malaria stakeholders, including PMI, Global Fund, and Roll Back Malaria Partnership to End Malaria working groups. Cataloguing risks and sharing best practices for preventing and mitigating risk made this report a valuable tool for implementing partners.