Browsing by Author "Zekariyas, Zerihun"

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    Assessment of Implementation status and challenges of pharmaceutical reverse logistics: The case of selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
    (Addis Abeba University, 2021-09) Zekariyas, Zerihun; Jabena, Tariku (PhD)
    Ethiopia procures more than 16-billion-birr worth of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies per year to more than 4000 public health facilities across the country but with very little consideration for reverse logistics. In Ethiopia, the average wastage rate of medicines is 3.9%. In spite of the efforts that the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Agency have put in place to ensure efficiency in supply chain, and availability of medicines at all times, however, significant quantities of pharmaceuticals have been expiring in facility pharmacy stores and have been causing a challenge in supply chain system. The objective of the study is to assess the implementation status and challenges of pharmaceutical reverse logistics in the case of selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Therefore, a descriptive cross-sectional study design and qualitative study was employed in six public hospitals in which 12 are key informant interviews. The quantitative data was collected through questionnaires, data abstraction formats and checklist and analyzed using SPSS version 20 and Microsoft Excel 2016. The qualitative data was collected through in-depth interview with the heads of the hospitals, pharmacy directorates and pharmacy case team leaders and analyzed using thematic analysis. The results were presented using, graphs, percentages, mean scores, standard deviations and written texts. Majority of the respondents 47% agree that there is unclear reverse logistics practice in their respective hospitals. Overstocks are common at the hospital level, most hospitals 66% experience overstocks, 28% rarely experiences overstock and 6% experience no overstock. Redistribution has the highest grand mean score as compared to other reverse logistics activities such as recycling, recalling and disposal during the study period. Moreover, there is data invisibility to trace and track the implementation status of reverse logistics. This all, in turn made the public hospitals to turn their face from the practical implementation of reverse logistics. Reverse logistics management should get attention in the pharmaceuticals supply system of the country for the proper management of unused medications for disposal and usable for redistribution. It is recommended to give training for pharmacy professionals on proper quantification of pharmaceuticals and attention must be given to the whole picture of reverse logistics rather than sticking only to waste management. Otherwise, the negative impact of reverse logistics may end up in financial loss to health sector and environmental unfriendliness.