Abstract:
Background: - Effective inventory management minimizes stock outs and losses due to unnecessary
expiry, and other problems, and ensures that the desired medicines are available at all times in
adequate quantities. However, inventory management of health facilities in Ethiopia was reportedly
addressed to be deficient. The operating information system at facility level is also minimal, so that
the information obtained was of little importance to support for decision-making.
Objective: - the objective of this study was to assess the inventory management practices of HIV
drugs and test kits in selected public health facilities in West Wollega zone.
Methods: - facility based cross-sectional study complemented with qualitative method was
conducted from April 01 to May 30, 2018 to assess HIV drugs and test kits inventory management
practices in the selected public health facilities in West Welega zone.
Result: - a total of 23 health facilities (6 hospitals and 17 health centers) was selected for the study.
The inventory management practices of HIV drugs and test kits in these facilities were assessed using
recording and reporting accuracy, stock out rates, wastage rates etc. Accordingly, the average data
transfer accuracy of RRF for the specific products was calculated to be 65.0%. From 409 bin cards
assessed, 67.7% were updated from which 83.7% were filled accurately. The majority of the facility
(78.3%) had faced stock out during the last six months of the study. Concerning the wastage of
products, 88,539.79 ETB was lost due to poor inventory management during the last six months of
the study period. Regarding storage conditions, only 26.1% of the assessed health facilities were
adhered to good storage criteria. Managerial negligence, inadequate human resource, inadequate
supply, supply of near expiry date and lack of training and supportive supervision were the identified
inventory management challenges during the study.
Conclusion and Recommendation: - inventory management practices of HIV drugs and test kits in
West Wollega zone health facilities were deprived. Report inaccuracy, poor record updating
practices, frequent stock outs, resource wastages and non-adherence to good storage practices were
identified in the area. Therefore, ORHB, WoHO & ZHD of W/W zone and PFSA shall solve the
identified problems accordingly. ( through recruiting adequate human power, training the staffs and
providing supportive supervision and feedback regularly).
