{"id":708,"date":"2024-02-07T09:58:47","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T09:58:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/?p=708"},"modified":"2025-06-18T09:03:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T09:03:09","slug":"general-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/general-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"GET STARTED"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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General Questions<\/h2><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tWHAT IS NCDCONNECT?<\/span><\/div>

NCDconnect is a digital procurement platform designed to improve access to affordable, quality-assured noncommunicable diseases (NCD) medicines and medical devices in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Developed by IDA Foundation in collaboration with Solvoz, NCDconnect enables streamlined procurement tailored to the needs of healthcare organisations addressing noncommunicable diseases.<\/p><\/div><\/div>

\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\thow are you supporting local ownership and sustainability?<\/span><\/div>

We are committed to locally-led development. We engage with local partners, NGOs, and ministries of health. Since NCDconnect is part of IDA Foundation<\/a>, we share the same goal: to source 20% of our product portfolio locally by 2030. Learn more about IDA’s Sustainability commitment<\/a>. NCDconnect is not just a tool \u2014 it\u2019s part of a long-term effort to build resilient health systems.<\/p><\/div><\/div>

\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tWhat makes NCDconnect different from other procurement platforms or medical suppliers?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>

NCDconnect is specifically built to improve access to noncommunicable disease (NCD) health products in low- and middle-income countries.<\/strong> Unlike general medical suppliers or commercial platforms, NCDconnect is not-for-profit and disease-focused<\/strong>\u2014developed to support healthcare organisations with fair pricing, practical tools, and reliable supply.
Our specialised catalogue is tailored by disease and country needs, offering complete treatment regimens and product bundles. Every item on the platform goes through a quality assurance process \u2014 whether WHO-prequalified, SRA-approved, or IDA-reviewed through internal dossier assessments.
We also reduce procurement complexity by consolidating products and suppliers in one place, minimising intermediaries and supply chain risks. Backed by IDA Foundation<\/a>\u2019s 50+ years of experience<\/strong>, NCDconnect supports more efficient, transparent, and context-aware procurement for NCD care.<\/p><\/div><\/div>

\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tMy country\u2019s procurement strategy relies on tenders. How does NCDconnect align with that approach?<\/span><\/div>

We understand that many governments and organisations operate within tender-based procurement frameworks<\/strong>. However, tenders can often be complex, time-consuming, and difficult to manage \u2014 particularly for fragmented NCD needs. They may also lead to unintended gaps in access<\/strong> or treatment discontinuities<\/strong> for chronic conditions such as diabetes and cancer, where consistent availability is critical.

Our goal at NCDconnect is to work with you as a solutions partner<\/strong>. We can operate within tender systems where needed, and we\u2019ve also partnered at the policy level to enable parallel procurement\u2014through both tenders and digital platforms<\/strong>\u2014giving your teams the flexibility to select the products and partners that bring the most value to health systems and patients. Whether you’re exploring a full tender or looking for a more streamlined solution, our team is available to advise and engage accordingly.<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div>

\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tWhich countries are eligible to use NCDconnect?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>

All organisations serving Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), as defined by the World Bank<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div>

\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tWhO CAN USE NCDCONNECT? \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>

NCDconnect is built for health-focused organisations such as ministries of health, NGOs, faith-based organisations, implementing partners, and other institutional buyers who procure NCD-related medicines and medical devices.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div>

\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tIS THERE A COST TO USE NCDCONNECT? \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>

No, registration and access to NCDconnect are completely free of charge. You only pay for the products, shipping, and standard procurement fees \u2014 which are transparently included in your quote. These fees help cover our operational costs, but as a not-for-profit organisation, we do not add unnecessary margins. Our goal is to keep pricing fair, transparent, and focused on impact.<\/p><\/div><\/div>

\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tARE YOUR PRICES COMPETITIVE? \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>

Yes. As a not-for-profit social enterprise, our focus is not on margins but on making quality-assured products affordable and accessible. We offer fair pricing through direct sourcing, consolidated procurement, and our decades of experience navigating complex global supply chains.<\/p><\/div><\/div>

\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tHow is the quality of products ensured?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>

All listed products have certified WHO-PQ, SRA, and\/or IDA Quality Assured. For more information on IDA\u2019s quality assurance mechanisms, please see IDA Foundation\u2019s Commitment to Quality Assurance<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div>

\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tAre innovative medicines available through NCDconnect?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>

Yes. The catalogue includes both generic and innovative medicines that are pre-qualified for quality assurance.<\/p><\/div><\/div>

\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tWhat can I find on the digital procurement platform, and for which diseases?<\/span><\/div>

The platform offers a comprehensive catalogue of medicines and medical devices for the four major NCDs: cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic respiratory diseases.
Our selection is:
– Strategic<\/strong>: Focused on products aligned with the WHO Essential Medicines List (EML), national strategies, and disease treatment priorities.
– Continuously Adapted<\/strong>: Updated regularly to meet the demand, with input from stakeholders and manufacturers to ensure broad access.<\/p><\/div><\/div>

\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tCAN’T I JUST BUY directly from manufacturers or from a local wholesaler?<\/span><\/div>

While that\u2019s possible, NCDconnect offers added value by consolidating quality-assured, pre-vetted products into one platform \u2014 reducing fragmentation, procurement complexity, and risk. All products on the platform are sourced through a robust vetting process: they are either WHO-prequalified, SRA-approved, or IDA-approved through a rigorous internal quality dossier review<\/a>. This ensures every product meets high-quality standards tailored to the realities of LMIC health systems. In addition, we offer end-to-end support, pricing stability, and transparency to help organisations scale their impact with confidence.<\/p><\/div><\/div>

\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tIs there a knowledge library?\u00a0<\/span><\/div>

Not yet; but it\u2019s coming! We are developing a knowledge library with information such as expertise and recommendations on screening equipment, regimens, treatment, regulations, registrations, procurement processes, etc. If you have specific requests for platform knowledge, please email us at: ncd@idafoundation.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

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Are you a buyer and looking for more information?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Are you a supplier and looking for more information?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More on eligibility, QA, portfolio scope, and resources. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n

\n

General Questions<\/h2><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Which countries are eligible to use NCDconnect?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>

All organisations serving Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), as defined by the World Bank<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span>How is the quality of products ensured?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>

All listed products have certified WHO-PQ, SRA, and\/or IDA Quality Assured. For more information on IDA\u2019s quality assurance mechanisms, please see IDA Foundation\u2019s Commitment to Quality Assurance<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span>What other disease areas will be included on the platform in the future?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>

Oncology and diabetes thereapeutics are currently in the Catalogue. You can expect the diagnostics portfolio\u00a0and all other NCDs by Q3 2024.\u00a0\u00a0
\u00a0
Follow NCDconnect on LinkedIn<\/a> for the most up-to-date information.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/span>Is there a knowledge library?\u00a0<\/span><\/div>

Not yet; but it\u2019s coming! We are developing a knowledge library with information such as expertise and recommendations on screening equipment, regimens, treatment, regulations, registrations, procurement processes, etc. If you have specific requests for platform knowledge, please email us at: ncd@idafoundation.org<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faq"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"trp-custom-language-flag":false,"et-pb-post-main-image":false,"et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth":false,"et-pb-portfolio-image":false,"et-pb-portfolio-module-image":false,"et-pb-portfolio-image-single":false,"et-pb-gallery-module-image-portrait":false,"et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth-large":false,"et-pb-image--responsive--desktop":false,"et-pb-image--responsive--tablet":false,"et-pb-image--responsive--phone":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Callie Weber","author_link":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/author\/callie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"More on eligibility, QA, portfolio scope, and resources.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=708"}],"version-history":[{"count":34,"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2206,"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708\/revisions\/2206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncdconnect.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}