Introduction Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases, are an increasing global health burden. Over 70% of deaths globally are attributed to NCDs, the majority of which occur in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) [1, 2]. In 2016, NCDs accounted for about 46% premature mortality among the population aged less than 70 years [3]. Within the next decade, Africa is projected to experience the largest relative increase in the population living with NCDs, with NCDs taking over as the leading cause of death [4] Without adequate intervention, the increasing NCD burden will cause additional constraints to health systems that are notably already overstretched and fragile [5]. This fragility is even more pronounced in rural areas where poor case detection, access to care, and documentation of NCDs has led to frequent underestimation and under-prioritization of the endemic burden of NCDs. Despite the increasing NCD burden, most people in LMICs have poor availability and access to the NCD medicines that are crucial for prevention and treatment [6, 7]. In addition, existing evidence indicates that access and availability are disproportionate among the rural population compared to the urban population [8] and public facilities compared to private facilities [9]. Thus, the majority of patients residing in rural Africa and relying on public facilities for health care remain untreated or receive delayed NCD treatment.
One-third of the global population, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, lacks consistent access to essential medicines. This descriptive study assessed the level of stock-outs and whether distance to district pharmacy, supervision visits or delays in drug delivery from district pharmacy to health centers were associated with stock-outs in 15 rural health centers in northern Rwanda. We extracted data from stock cards, dispensing records and health center registers. One tracer drug, mebendazole, had no stock-outs. Quinine had the most stock-outs, an average of 10.5 months of stock-outs in 10 health centers. No association was found between drug stock-out and distance, supervision visits or delays in drug delivery. We hypothesize that observed stock-outs could be attributed to availability of other dosages of the same medicine, special orders during campaigns, staff turn-over and logistical issues beyond health centers' capacity such as delays in importation. These should be explored more in future studies.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.