Verhage Rob

Mr. Rob Verhage, MSc Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Systems and Procurement Specialist (º1954)

• Pharmaceutical systems: policy and management, access, quality assurance, legislation and regulatory affairs. Development and review of procurement and supply systems, planning and financing, evaluation and monitoring, portfolio analysis, donor-funded procurement regulations and procedures, international tendering, auditing. Medical stores: management and computerization. Design and conduct of formal training seminars, on-job training and capacity building.
• Since his return from long-term assignments in Malawi and Ghana in 2000, Rob Verhage is member of the Raad voor het Essentieel Geneesmiddelen Programma (Board for the Essential Medicines Programme) as well as member of the Geneesmiddelenregistratie Commissie (Medicines Registration Committee) in Suriname. As such, he is involved in the development and monitoring of the National Medicines Policy and related programme and co-responsible for the issuance of Market Authorizations for pharmaceuticals, review of legal instruments, organization and administration of quality assurance in Suriname, including computerization of the registered-medicines database.
• Rob Verhage was procurement advisor for the Ministry of Health in Zambia (2005-6) and Ghana (1997-99) and for the Central Medical Stores in Malawi (1994-97). From 1981 to 1994 he performed several senior management functions in the Bedrijf Geneesmiddelen Voorziening Suriname (Suriname Medical Stores) of which 9 years as acting general manager. His activities focused around the design and set-up of the procurement and supply organization and procedures, funding, rationalization of medicines production and quality assurance, computerization and training.
• In short-term assignments Rob assisted in the development and appraisal of health sector plans in Ethiopia, Ghana, Suriname and Zambia and pharmaceutical sector reviews in Guyana, Kenya, Nigeria, Suriname and Zambia. His specific expertise in donor funded procurement (DfID, Danida, EU, Netherlands, GFATM, GTZ, KfW, PAHO, UNFPA, UNICEF, USAID, WHO and World Bank) has been made useful in assistance to international tendering of all health commodities in Ethiopia, Macedonia, Lesotho and Nigeria.
• Rob Verhage joined HERA in 2007.
• His experience is mainly in the Anglophone Africa (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Zambia), Caribbean (Suriname and Guyana) and Europe (Macedonia).