Assessment Of Factors Affecting Availability Of Essential Laboratory Commodities In Addis Ababa: Public Hospitals Under Addis Ababa City Administration Health Bureau
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Date
2017-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Laboratory service is one of the key elements for comprehensive health care delivery. In order to be efficient and effective in its capacity, it is mainly depends on availability of required laboratory Commodities with reliable quality and quantity. The country has experienced inconsistent availability of laboratory Commodities at a number of health facilities. The purpose of the study was to assess factors that were negatively affecting optimal availability of essential laboratory Commodities in all public hospitals under AACAHB. Combinations of both quantitative and qualitative research approach through a descriptive and case study design respectively were conducted. A non-probability purposive sampling was used to involve 50 health workers comprising; Head of Laboratory, Head of pharmacy, Focal person of each laboratory units and logisticians. For the purpose of triangulation, six purposively selected employees were also contacted at PFSA H.Q. Both primary and secondary data were used for this study. Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and checklist as a data collection instrument were used. The analysis was carried out using SPSS Version 20 simple descriptive and thematic approach. The major findings of the study revealed that Inappropriate quantification & forecasting, inadequate storage facility, lengthy procurement process, inadequate involvement of lab personnel in procurement, capacity limitation of local suppliers, high dependency on foreign source of laboratory Commodities and chemicals, frequent stock-out at PFSA and inadequate fund are the major barriers to optimal availability of laboratory Commodities at all public hospitals under studied. The researcher recommended that all stake holders need to integrate to addresses those challenges that are contributing to sub optimal availability of laboratory Commodities for the sustainable health benefits of the society at large.
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Keywords
Essential Laboratory Commodities, Public Hospital, Availability