Abstract
BackgroundGood inventory management practices in the health facilities are one of the critical aspects that influence the availability of essential medicines (EMs). This study aimed to assess EMs availability and inventory management practices at health centers (HCs) of Adama town, Ethiopia.MethodInstitution based cross sectional survey was conducted among six HCs in Adama Town from March 19 to April 12, 2017. Self-administered questionnaire and observational checklists were used to collect quantitative information. Eleven tracer drugs (TDs) that were selected by the Federal ministry of health and included in the TD list of the HCs were used to assess the availability of EMs at the time of the survey; and during the past 12 months. The data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 21. The accuracy of record keeping was assessed using inventory management assessment tool (IMAT) indicators.ResultFive HCs had Essential drug list and the procurement was made as per the list. Out of six HCs, four of them procured EMs from both pharmaceutical fund and supply agency (PFSA) of Ethiopia and private suppliers. Stock status of PFSA and transportation were the major challenges during the procurement process. The overall average availability of TDs on the day of the survey was 76.3%. Average length of stock out days for TDs during the past 12 months from each HC was 40.6 days. Among the TDs assessed at HCs, oral rehydrating salt was stock outed for 144 days while paracetamol was stock outed only for 1.4 days. The discrepancy of TDs between physical count and on bincard for which physical inventory less than the balance on bincard ranges from 0 to 33.3%.ConclusionThe availability of EMs was low and there was also poor inventory management practice in some of the HCs during the study period.
Highlights
Good inventory management practices in the health facilities are one of the critical aspects that influence the availability of essential medicines (EMs)
World Health Organization (WHO) define essential medicines (EMs) as products that satisfy the priority healthcare needs of the population which should be available in the health facities at all times in adequate amounts with affordable price by the community [1]
The type of health professionals as a store keeper was different for each health centers (HCs), only two had pharmacists as a store keeper, three had druggist while one HC store was managed by nurse
Summary
Good inventory management practices in the health facilities are one of the critical aspects that influence the availability of essential medicines (EMs). World Health Organization (WHO) define essential medicines (EMs) as products that satisfy the priority healthcare needs of the population which should be available in the health facities at all times in adequate amounts with affordable price by the community [1]. The country developed national list of EMs which guides the decision of all health service providers with regard to selecting and availing the most needed medicines at every level of the healthcare system at all times with affordable cost [3]. Inventory management is vital for pharmaceutical supply system which involves the management of routine pharmaceutical ordering process It helps to maintain a Kefale and Shebo BMC Health Services Research (2019) 19:254 steady supply to patients, preventing product stock out, while minimizing the costs of holding inventory [4]. Despite the importance of LMIS in improving efficiency of the overall inventory management process [8, 9], it is underutilized in developing countries like Ethiopia [10]
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