The Challenge of Ensuring Adequate Stocks of Essential Drugs in Rural Health Clinics
Health experts and policymakers want people to have access to affordable and high-quality medical care. But in some developing countries, making quality healthcare available may first necessitate ensuring that essential medicines are available, suc...
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| Language: | English en_US |
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Washington, DC
2014
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/04/17617968/challenge-ensuring-adequate-stocks-essential-drugs-rural-health-clinics http://hdl.handle.net/10986/17021 |
| Summary: | Health experts and policymakers want
people to have access to affordable and high-quality medical
care. But in some developing countries, making quality
healthcare available may first necessitate ensuring that
essential medicines are available, such as anti-malaria
pills and antibiotics. The challenge of guaranteeing a
steady supply is not only related to the financial side of
paying for medicines. Zambia, the World Bank supported a
project exploring how to guarantee the availability of
essential medicines in often-remote health facilities. Based
on the results, clinics in districts that were part of the
pilot study are now able to order drugs directly from a
central pharmacy. Donors and the Government of Zambia are
working together to expand the program to the rest of the
country. A pilot program, consisting of two different models
for distribution, was initiated to test the best way to
overcome the bottleneck at the district level. In Model A, a
commodity planner was put in place at the district level. In
Model B, health facilities submitted orders directly to the
central Medical Stores Limited. The pilot underscores that
successful distribution of drugs is about more than just
money-or having the right amount of stocks available in
central locations. Ensuring that medicines get to clinics is
critical for a functioning health system. |
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