Assessment of Implementation status and challenges of pharmaceutical reverse logistics: The case of selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2021-09
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Abeba University
Abstract
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.
Description
Keywords
Supply Chain Management, Reverse Logistics, Hospital Reverse Logistics, Pharmaceuticals, Redistribution