Abstract

IntroductionMalaria, pneumonia and diarrhea are leading causes of death in young children in Uganda. Between 50–60% of sick children receive treatment from the private sector, especially drug shops. There is an urgent need to improve quality of care and regulation of private drug shops in Uganda. This study was conducted to determine the distribution, the licensing status and characteristics of drug shops in four sub-districts of Kamuli district.MethodsThis study was part of a pre-post cross sectional study that examined the implementation of an integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) intervention for common childhood illness in rural private drug shops in Kamuli District in Eastern Uganda. This mapping exercise used a snowball sampling technique to identify licensed and unlicensed drug shops and collect information about their characteristics. Data were collected using a questionnaire. GPS data were collected for all drug shops.AnalysisQuantitative data were analyzed using SPSS for descriptive statistics. Open ended questions were entered into NVivo 10 and analyzed using thematic analysis strategies.ResultsIn total, 215 drug shops in 284 villages were located. Of these, 123 (57%) were open and consented to an interview. Only 12 (10%) drug shops were licensed, 93 (76%) were unlicensed, and the licensing status of 18 (15%) was unknown. Most respondents were the owner of the drug shop (88%); most drug sellers reported their qualification as nursing assistants (70%). Drug sellers reported licensing fees and costs of contracting an “in-charge” as barriers to licensing. Nearly all drug shops sold drugs for malaria (91%) and antibiotics (79%).

Highlights

  • MethodsThis study was part of a pre-post cross sectional study that examined the implementation of an integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) intervention for common childhood illness in rural private drug shops in Kamuli District in Eastern Uganda

  • Malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea are leading causes of death in young children in Uganda

  • This study was part of a pre-post cross sectional study that examined the implementation of an integrated Community Case Management intervention for common childhood illness in rural private drug shops in Kamuli District in Eastern Uganda

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Summary

Methods

This study was part of a pre-post cross sectional study that examined the implementation of an integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) intervention for common childhood illness in rural private drug shops in Kamuli District in Eastern Uganda. This mapping exercise used a snowball sampling technique to identify licensed and unlicensed drug shops and collect information about their characteristics. In November 2014, a cross-sectional mapping study was conducted to locate and collect data from all identified licensed and unlicensed drug shops in four sub-counties of Kamuli District (population 588,000) located in Eastern Uganda; Balawoli (pop 54,092), Kitayunjwa (pop 55,238), Namasgali (pop 37,524), and Butansi (pop 29, 799) [43]. Most families in Kamuli District rely on subsistence agriculture and most have no access to electricity or running water

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