The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to strengthening integrated health systems in the developing world and expanding access to care and treatment for HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Based on the premise that business-oriented strategy can facilitate solutions to global health challenges, CHAI acts as a catalyst to mobilize new resources and optimize the impact of these resources to save lives, via improved organization of commodity markets and more effective national and sub-national level management.
CHAI will apply the techniques it has used successfully to improve access to HIV/AIDS and malaria treatment in developing countries to achieve the same for essential vaccines and cold chain equipment. Immunization is widely acknowledged as the most cost-effective and focused disease intervention and yet each year an estimated three million children under the age of five lose their lives to preventable illnesses. A majority of these deaths occur in low-income countries, where poverty and lack of affordability prevent access to life-saving vaccines.
There is an unprecedented wave of new vaccines expected to become available within the next decade that could transform the global burden of disease. However, the cost of deploying these products while maintaining access to current vaccines is expected to exceed $4 billion annually by 2015. Given the current difficult financial climate, governments and donors may be unable to meet the escalating cost burden generated by these new products. As a result, the pricing and market conditions of new and existing vaccines will be a critical determinant of coverage levels and, therefore, health impact in the coming years. Also, in order to increase vaccine cold chain capacity to cater for the introduction of new vaccines, national governments and donors will expect to spend up to $1.7 billion to purchase and operate cold chain equipment over the next 10 years.
CHAI has already begun to work with key partners to negotiate price reductions for major current antigens. This work resulted in a reduction in the price of rotavirus vaccine by two-thirds, resulting in substantial savings for global donors and governments. Efforts on other antigens and cold chain equipment are currently underway. By working with key stakeholders, CHAI Vaccine Markets program aims to support the achievement of affordable yet sustainable vaccine and cold chain equipment prices, thereby increasing value for money and enabling accelerated introduction of new vaccines in developing countries.
Minimum Qualifications:
Preferred Qualifications:
CHAI Recruitment Team
recruitment@clintonhealthaccessinitiative.org
United States
Applications open: April 1, 2013 – June 1, 2013
Posted in Job opportunities