Abstract
Background: Medicine and medical supplies are often in short supply in countries suffering from the scourge of conflict. Effective medicine supply policies are lacking in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly during conflict. This study aimed to assess the availability of essential medicines in both the public and private healthcare sectors. Methods: The study was conducted by administering a survey from November 2017 to February 2018 using the World Health Organization/Health Action International (WHO/HAI) guidelines and methodology. Thirty healthcare facilities in thirteen districts from three governorates in Yemen were included in the assessment of thirty essential medicines. The results were reported as frequencies and percentages of outlets with available medicines on the day of data collection. Results: A set of 30 vital and essential medicines were selected from the list of essential medicines that are used in healthcare centers in Yemen to treat prevalent diseases. In general, only 52.8% of the selected medicines were available in public and private healthcare settings. The distribution and availability of medicines in the three governorates were approximately equal. The availability of medicines was better in the private healthcare settings, specifically 73.3% in private hospitals and approximately 79.7% in private pharmacies. Conclusions: The availability of essential medicines during this state of conflict in three governorates in Yemen is low, in both public and private hospitals and healthcare centers. Many of the medications that were not available are used to treat chronic illnesses.
Highlights
Introduction affiliationsThe lack of adequate access to medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is a critical problem
Availability was defined as follows: “the availability of medicines is reported as the percentage of medicine outlets in which the medicine was found on the day of data collection” [20,21]
Thirty medicines from the Yemen list of essential medicines were selected in order to study their availability in public and private healthcare centers in three governorates in Yemen
Summary
The lack of adequate access to medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is a critical problem. It has been reported than more than two billion individuals lack access to medicines [1]. Access to medicines is a basic human right. The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed the development and application of a national pharmaceutical policy to ensure accessibility to essential medicines. This policy is “a commitment to a goal and a guide of action” for pharmaceutical providers in the public and private sectors. Its intention is to ensure accessibility to essential medicines with proven quality and their proper use by the population, by addressing all aspects related to pharmaceuticals [2]
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