<p>Assessment of Inventory Management Practices at the Ethiopian Pharmaceuticals Supply Agency, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia</p>

Abstract

Background: Maintaining an adequate level of inventory is critical since an enormous amount of capital tied up with it. Having excess inventory leads to wastage. On the contrary, insufficient commodity leads to stock out. Hence, this study aimed to assess inventory management practices of program commodities at Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Agency. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study complemented with a qualitative method was conducted from February 21 to April 20/2019. Order fill rate, wastage rate, frequency of emergency order, acceptable storage condition met, and stock out were the metrics we used to measure the inventory management practices of the agency. Quantitative data were collected through physical observation of the warehouses and review of logistics management tools. Seventeen in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the challenges of inventory management. Results: From the total 70 program commodities managed by the agency, 2.1% wasted due to expiration and damage. These resulted in a loss of over US $2 million. The highest wastage was recorded for antimalarials which accounted for 13.1% of the malaria commodities' total inventory value. Only 14.8% of the orders were fulfilled above 80%. Thirty-seven items were stock out on average for 8.5 average days. Longer duration of stock out (260 days) was recorded for TB commodities. Seventeen items from different programs were purchased through emergency orders with a higher frequency of levonorgestrel purchase. Only 6 (60%) warehouses met acceptable storage conditions. Space deficit, outdated warehouse designs, shortage of warehouse equipment, lack of precise data, and capacity building gaps were the inventory management challenges identified. Conclusion: Though the wastage rate was near to the acceptable range, there were lesser order fill rates, storage condition inadequacy, and significant stock-outs of program commodities. The finding implies the need for an improvement in inventory management practice of the agency.

Inventory management performance for laboratory commodities and their challenges in public health facilities of Gambella Regional State, Ethiopia: A mixed cross-sectional study

“…Retaining an acceptable level of inventory is critical as a huge amount of capital is tied up with it. Having excess inventory leads to wastage of products through expiration and damage, while too little inventory leads to stock-outs that lessened quality of patient care [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Availability of organized quality information in inventory management of laboratory commodities facilitate product availability, promote the continuation of community services, increase the quality of care, and improve job satisfaction and morale of healthcare professionals.…”

Evaluation of pharmaceutical inventory management challenges at public healthcare facilities in King Cetshwayo District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

“…Successful pharmacy inventory management necessitates careful planning and decision-making 11,29 . The challenges of stockouts, overstocking, and expiry-related wastage identi ed in this study are primarily rooted in the maldistribution of medicines and poorly coordinated inventory management.…”

Evaluating Inventory Management Practice of Antiretroviral Drugs in Public Health Facilities of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

“…Other similar studies have also experienced stock-outs 52.12%, 9 16 (80%), 30 16 (53.3%), 29 emergency orders 56.52%, 9 wastages 43.2% 9 and had acceptable storage conditions of ARV drugs 25 (83.3%), 31 55%, 25 , 32 25 (83.3%), 29 6 (60%). 33 The presence of rush orders, wastage of drugs, and poor storage conditions can result from irrational use, wastage of limited resources, distrust in the healthcare system, and risk client’s life. According to the present study, it requires improving efforts to achieve the goal of initiating treat for 90% of the people infected with HIV towards the 90-90-90 target.…”