Logistics management performance for key essential Medicine in public health facilities of awi zone, Amhara Regional state, North West Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: “logistics management is the part of supply chain management (SCM) that plans, implements, and controls the efficient and effective forward and reverses flow and storage of goods, services, finance and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customers’ requirement.” Objective: To assess the logistic management performance for key essential medicine and associated challenges in public health facilities of Awi zone, Amhara region. Methods: A facility based cross sectional mixed method strategy was conducted from March 15, 2019 – May 15, 2019 in 22 selected public health facilities in Awi zone and logistics management performance was measured by core logistics indicators; availability and utilization of facility specific drug list, forecast accuracy error, inventory accuracy and wastage rate, availability and stock-out rate and good storage condition. Quantitative data was collected by using semi-structured questionnaire and check list adopted from LIAT. The collected data were cleaned and analyzed by using SPSS version 23. Descriptive findings were presented by tables, graph and charts. Fisher’s exact test was conducted to determine the association between dependent and independent variables. For qualitative data Physical observation and in-depth interview of key informants was carried out by using tools adopted from LSAT. Then the data were analyzed by using thematic content analysis approach. Result: This study revealed that out 22 HFs surveyed majority of them 19(86%) developed their own specific drug list and used it as a reference tool for procurement; the mean absolute percentage forecast error was 41.42%. And 446(92%) tracer drugs had bin card, inventory accuracy rate was 85.43% and also average percentage availability of RDF key Ems on the day of visit was 85.6%; twelve(55%) HFs didn’t fulfill the criterion for good pharmaceutical storage condition. Conclusion: As measured by core logistics indicators this study concluded that the overall logistics management performance of the studied facilities was good.