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Elias L, Mushi L. Effectiveness of prime vendor system on availability of medicines and medical supplies in the selected public health facilities in Arusha district council. BMC Health Serv Res 2024; 24:161. [PMID: 38303051 PMCID: PMC10836008 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-024-10581-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The shortage of medicines and medical supplies remains to be a major issue that is facing public health facilities in Tanzania. This situation has been influenced by lack of consistency in the supply chain, increase in healthcare demand, poor regulatory system, insufficient funds, and lack of conducive infrastructure. Formerly, the Government initiatives such as engagement with the Prime Vendor System (PVS) demonstrated great assistance in getting rid of this challenge. Despite the operation of PVS, a recent shortage of medicines and medical supplies has been noticed. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of PVS on the availability of medicine and medical supplies in the selected public health facilities in Arusha District Council. METHODS The study used a case study design with mixed research approach. The study involved 77 respondents which included 25 health facility in-charges, 50 patients, 1 District Pharmacist and 1 Prime Vendor. Questionnaires, interviews, and observation methods were used to collect data. Data collected covered a period of 2021-2022. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data whereas descriptive analysis was used to analyze the quantitative data with the help of Excel and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28.0. RESULTS The analysis indicates that PVS is not completely effective in supplying medicines and medical supplies due to its low capacity to conform to the orders placed by the public health facilities, a lack of supply competition, and a failure to adhere to contractual terms. Furthermore, at the time of data collection, the average availability of medicines and medical supplies at the selected public health facilities was 74.8%, while 80% of the selected public health facilities reported having a scarcity of medicines and medical supplies, and 92% of the interviewed patients reported having no full access to medicines. CONCLUSION Despite the shortcomings associated with the operation of the PVS, the system still seems to be very important for enhancing the availability of medicines and medical supplies once its effectiveness is strengthened. This study recommends a routine monitoring of PVS operations and timely interventions to reinforce an adherence to the contracted terms and improve PVS effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liberatus Elias
- Now For Compassion (NFC) Tanzania, Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania.
| | - Lawrencia Mushi
- Department of Health Systems Management, School of Public Administration and Management, Mzumbe University, Morogoro, United Republic of Tanzania
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Zhang Y, Li Z, Zhao Y. Multi-mitigation strategies in medical supplies for epidemic outbreaks. Socioecon Plann Sci 2023; 87:101516. [PMID: 36713286 PMCID: PMC9867827 DOI: 10.1016/j.seps.2023.101516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) highlights the importance of sufficient medical supplies stockpiling at the pre-event stage. In contrast, the potential disadvantages of maintaining adequate items at strategic locations (i.e., reserves) are considerable inventory-related costs. Unpredicted demand leads to a high degree of uncertainty. Efforts to mitigate the uncertainty should rely not only on prepositioning supplies at reserves but also on integrating various channels of medical materials. This paper proposes multi-mitigation strategies in medical supplies to ensure uninterrupted supply for hospitals and significant savings by introducing two-type suppliers, reserving and manufacturing suppliers. Thus, each hospital with uncertain demand is enabled to be served by various channels during pandemics: prepositioning in reserves, backups served by reserving suppliers, and medical commodities produced by manufacturing suppliers. Stochasticity is also incorporated into the raw materials available to produce. This research aims to develop an emergency response application that integrates preparedness action (reserve location, inventory level, and contract supplier's selection) with post-event operations (allocating medical materials from various channels). We formulate a two-stage stochastic mixed integer program to determine prepositioning strategy, including two-type suppliers' selection, and post-event allocation of multiple sources. A branch-and-Benders-cut method is developed for this problem and significantly outperforms both the classical Benders decomposition and Gurobi in the solution time. Different-sized test instances also verify the robustness of the proposed method. Based on a realistic and typical case study (inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan, China), significant savings, an increase in inventory utilization and an increase in demand fulfilment are obtained by our approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuwei Zhang
- School of Information, Beijing Wuzi University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenping Li
- School of Information, Beijing Wuzi University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuwei Zhao
- School of Economics and Management, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
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Zhang X, Jiang M, He L, Niazi NK, Vithanage M, Li B, Wang J, Abdelrahman H, Antoniadis V, Rinklebe J, Wang Z, Shaheen SM. Pandemic COVID-19 ends but soil pollution increases: Impacts and a new approach for risk assessment. Sci Total Environ 2023; 890:164070. [PMID: 37196949 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
For three years, a large amount of manufactured pollutants such as plastics, antibiotic and disinfectant has been released into the environment due to COVID-19. The accumulation of these pollutants in the environment has exacerbated the damage to the soil system. However, since the epidemic outbreak, the focus of researchers and public attention has consistently been on human health. It is noteworthy that studies conducted in conjunction with soil pollution and CIVID-19 represent only 4 % of all COVID-19 studies. In order to enhance researchers' and the public awareness of the seriousness on the COVID-19 derived soil pollution, we propose the viewpoint that "pandemic COVOD-19 ends but soil pollution increases" and recommend a whole-cell biosensor based new method to assess the environmental risk of COVID-19 derived pollutants. This approach is expected to provide a new way for environmental risk assessment of soils affected by contaminants produced from pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaokai Zhang
- Institute of Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Mengyuan Jiang
- Institute of Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Lizhi He
- Key Laboratory of Soil Contamination Bioremediation of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an 311300, China
| | - Nabeel Khan Niazi
- Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan; Faculty of Science & Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales 2480, Australia
| | - Meththika Vithanage
- Ecosphere Resilience Research Center, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda 10250, Sri Lanka
| | - Boling Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China
| | - Jie Wang
- Institute of Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Hamada Abdelrahman
- Soil Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt
| | - Vasileios Antoniadis
- Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Thessaly, Fytokou Street, 384 46 Volos, Greece
| | - Jörg Rinklebe
- School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Laboratory of Soil, and Groundwater-Management, University of Wuppertal, Pauluskirchstraße 7, 42285 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Zhenyu Wang
- Institute of Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China.
| | - Sabry M Shaheen
- School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Laboratory of Soil, and Groundwater-Management, University of Wuppertal, Pauluskirchstraße 7, 42285 Wuppertal, Germany
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Ni J, Ni Y, Zhang T, Wang G, Ding X, Zhou G. Hair embedding after transperineal prostate biopsy: two case reports. BMC Urol 2023; 23:39. [PMID: 36934231 PMCID: PMC10024441 DOI: 10.1186/s12894-023-01207-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transperineal prostate biopsy is gradually becoming the standard methodology for diagnosing prostate cancer because of its high accuracy and low risk of infection, but careful preparation is not always highlighted before a transperineal biopsy. we reported two cases of hair embedding during transurethral resection of the prostate following transperineal puncture biopsy with a Bard MC1820 disposable biopsy needle. Histological examination did not find the hair follicle structure required for hair growth. The hair source was suspected to be percutaneously brought in by needle during the biopsya simulated experiment was used to analyze and reconstruct the process of hair embedding in prostate tissue. CONCLUSION Hair embedding caused by perineal prostate biopsy is a consumable-related adverse event, and skin preparation before a transperineal prostate biopsy is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxuan Ni
- Surgical Research Center, Institute of Urology, Medical School of Southeast University, 210009, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ying Ni
- Department of Urology, Jianhu County People's Hospital, 224700, Yancheng, China.
| | - Tielong Zhang
- Department of Urology, Jianhu County People's Hospital, 224700, Yancheng, China
| | - Gang Wang
- Department of Urology, Jianhu County People's Hospital, 224700, Yancheng, China
| | - Xuefei Ding
- Department of Urology, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, 225001, Yangzhou, China
| | - Guangchen Zhou
- Department of Urology, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, 225001, Yangzhou, China
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Shi Y, Lin Y, Li B, Yi Man Li R. A bi-objective optimization model for the medical supplies' simultaneous pickup and delivery with drones. Comput Ind Eng 2022; 171:108389. [PMID: 35791409 PMCID: PMC9245375 DOI: 10.1016/j.cie.2022.108389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential to transport medical supplies to specific locations accurately, safely, and promptly on time. The application of drones for medical supplies delivery can break ground traffic restrictions, shorten delivery time, and achieve the goal of contactless delivery to reduce the likelihood of contacting COVID-19 patients. However, the existing optimization model for drone delivery is cannot meet the requirements of medical supplies delivery in public health emergencies. Therefore, this paper proposes a bi-objective mixed integer programming model for the multi-trip drone location routing problem, which allows simultaneous pick-up and delivery, and shorten the time to deliver medical supplies in the right place. Then, a modified NSGA-II (Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II) which includes double-layer coding, is designed to solve the model. This paper also conducts multiple sets of data experiments to verify the performance of modified NSGA-II. Comparing with separate pickup and delivery modes, this study demonstrates that the proposed optimization model with simultaneous pickup and delivery mode achieves a shorter time, is safer, and saves more resources. Finally, the sensitivity analysis is conducted by changing some parameters, and providing some reference suggestions for medical supplies delivery management via drones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhe Shi
- School of Management Science and Real Estate, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400000, People's Republic of China
| | - Yun Lin
- School of Management Science and Real Estate, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400000, People's Republic of China
| | - Bo Li
- Chakrabongse Bhuvanarth International Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies, Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-Ok, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Rita Yi Man Li
- Sustainable Real Estate Research Center, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Hong Kong, China
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Liu J, Bai J, Wu D. Medical supplies scheduling in major public health emergencies. Transp Res E Logist Transp Rev 2021; 154:102464. [PMID: 36570618 PMCID: PMC9760551 DOI: 10.1016/j.tre.2021.102464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan, there was an unreasonable allocation between hospitals and a lack of timely transportation of medical supplies, which reduced the cure rate of infected cases. To solve the problem, this research proposes a method for scheduling medical supplies in major public health emergencies to develop a rapid and accurate supply scheme for medical materials, including the allocation of medical materials per vehicle to each hospital and the supply sequence per vehicle to each hospital. Specifically, this paper solves the following two sub-problems: (1) calculating the shortest transportation times and the corresponding routes from any distributing center(s) to any hospital(s); (2) calculating the medical supplies per vehicle transporting to each hospital. The method of solving sub-problem 1 is performed by multiple iterations, each of which calculates the shortest route from a distributing center, through one or more hospitals, and back to the distributing center. According to sub-problem 2, this research proposes a distribution model of medical supplies in major public health emergencies. A multiple dynamic programming algorithm which is a combination of some separated dynamic programming operations is proposed to solve this model. This algorithm also realizes the rapid updating of the scheme in the context of the changing number of vehicles. The first sub-problem can be solved in normal times, while the second one should be solved on the premise of obtaining the corresponding data after the occurrence of a major public health emergency. In the case study section, the whole method proposed in this research is employed in the medical supplies scheduling in the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, which proves the availability of the method. The main innovation of the method proposed in this research is that the problems can obtain the optimal solution while the time complexity is within an acceptable range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Liu
- School of Information and Safety Engineering, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China
| | - Jinyu Bai
- School of Information and Safety Engineering, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China
| | - Desheng Wu
- School of Economics and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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de Albuquerque TL, Marques Júnior JE, de Queiroz LP, Ricardo ADS, Rocha MVP. Polylactic acid production from biotechnological routes: A review. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 186:933-951. [PMID: 34273343 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.07.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Polylactic acid (PLA) has been highlighted as an important polymer due to its high potential for applicability in various areas, such as in the chemical, medical, pharmaceutical or biotechnology field. Very recently, studies have reported its use as a basic component for the production of personal protective equipment (PPE) required for the prevention of Sars-Cov-2 contamination, responsible for the cause of coronavirus disease, which is currently a major worldwide sanitary and social problem. PLA is considered a non-toxic, biodegradable and compostable plastic with interesting characteristics from the industrial point of view, and it emerges as a promising product under the concept of "green plastic", since most of the polymers produced currently are petroleum-based, a non-renewable raw material. Biotechnology routes have been mentioned as potential methodologies for the production of this polymer, especially by enzymatic routes, in particular by use of lipases enzymes. The availability of pure lactic acid isomers is a fundamental aspect of the manufacture of PLA with more interesting mechanical and thermal properties. Due to the technological importance that PLA-based polymers are acquiring, as well as their characteristics and applicability in several fields, especially medical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology, this review article sought to gather very recent information regarding the development of research in this area. The main highlight of this study is that it was carried out from a biotechnological point of view, aiming at a totally green bioplastic production, since the obtaining of lactic acid, which will be used as raw material for the PLA synthesis, until the degradation of the polymer obtained by biological routes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Lima de Albuquerque
- Universidade Federal do Ceará, Campus do Pici, Departament of Chemical Engineering, Bloco 709, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - José Edvan Marques Júnior
- Universidade Federal do Ceará, Campus do Pici, Departament of Chemical Engineering, Bloco 709, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Lívia Pinheiro de Queiroz
- Universidade Federal do Ceará, Campus do Pici, Departament of Chemical Engineering, Bloco 709, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Anderson Diógenes Souza Ricardo
- Universidade Federal do Ceará, Campus do Pici, Departament of Chemical Engineering, Bloco 709, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Maria Valderez Ponte Rocha
- Universidade Federal do Ceará, Campus do Pici, Departament of Chemical Engineering, Bloco 709, 60455-760 Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
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Salarpour M, Nagurney A. A multicountry, multicommodity stochastic game theory network model of competition for medical supplies inspired by the Covid-19 pandemic. Int J Prod Econ 2021; 236:108074. [PMID: 35615460 PMCID: PMC9122348 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2021.108074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Revised: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we construct the first stochastic Generalized Nash Equilibrium model for the study of competition among countries for limited supplies of medical items (PPEs, ventilators, etc.) in the disaster preparedness and response phases in the Covid-19 pandemic. The government of each country is faced with a two-stage stochastic optimization problem in which the first stage is prior to the pandemic declaration and the second stage is post the pandemic declaration. We provide the theoretical constructs, a qualitative analysis, and an algorithm, accompanied by convergence results. Both illustrative examples are presented as well as algorithmically solved numerical examples, inspired by the need for N95 masks and ventilators. The results reveal that, in addition to the preparedness of countries before the pandemic declaration, their ability to adapt to the conditions in different scenarios has a significant impact on their overall success in the management of the pandemic crisis. The framework can capture competition for other medical supplies, including Covid-19 vaccines and possible treatments, with modifications to handle perishability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mojtaba Salarpour
- Department of Operations and Information Management, Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Anna Nagurney
- Department of Operations and Information Management, Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
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Oboh MA, Omoleke SA, Imafidon CE, Ajibola O, Oriero EC, Amambua-Ngwa A. Beyond SARS-CoV-2: Lessons That African Governments Can Apply in Preparation for Possible Future Epidemics. J Prev Med Public Health 2020; 53:307-310. [PMID: 33070501 PMCID: PMC7569020 DOI: 10.3961/jpmph.20.259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has placed unprecedented pressure on healthcare systems, even in advanced economies. While the number of cases of SARS-CoV-2 in Africa compared to other continents has so far been low, there are concerns about under-reporting, inadequate diagnostic tools, and insufficient treatment facilities. Moreover, proactiveness on the part of African governments has been under scrutiny. For instance, issues have emerged regarding the responsiveness of African countries in closing international borders to limit trans-continental transmission of the virus. Overdependence on imported products and outsourced services could have contributed to African governments’ hesitation to shut down international air and seaports. In this era of emerging and re-emerging pathogens, we recommend that African nations should consider self-sufficiency in the health sector as an urgent priority, as this will not be the last outbreak to occur. In addition to the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement fund (US$600 million) provided by the World Bank for strengthening health systems and disease surveillance, each country should further establish an epidemic emergency fund for epidemic preparedness and response. We also recommend that epidemic surveillance units should create a secure database of previous and ongoing pandemics in terms of aetiology, spread, and treatment, as well as financial management records. Strategic collection and analysis of data should also be a central focus of these units to facilitate studies of disease trends and to estimate the scale of requirements in preparation and response to any future pandemic or epidemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Aigbiremo Oboh
- Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia
| | - Semeeh Akinwale Omoleke
- Immunization, Vaccines and Emergencies Unit, World Health Organization, Kebbi State Field Office, Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria
| | - Christian Eseigbe Imafidon
- Renal Research Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Bowen University College of Health Sciences, Iwo, Nigeria
| | - Olumide Ajibola
- Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia.,Department of Biology, First Technical University, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Eniyou Cheryll Oriero
- Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia
| | - Alfred Amambua-Ngwa
- Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia
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Mackintosh M, Tibandebage P, Karimi Njeru M, Kariuki Kungu J, Israel C, Mujinja PGM. Rethinking health sector procurement as developmental linkages in East Africa. Soc Sci Med 2018; 200:182-189. [PMID: 29421465 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2016] [Revised: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Health care forms a large economic sector in all countries, and procurement of medicines and other essential commodities necessarily creates economic linkages between a country's health sector and local and international industrial development. These procurement processes may be positive or negative in their effects on populations' access to appropriate treatment and on local industrial development, yet procurement in low and middle income countries (LMICs) remains under-studied: generally analysed, when addressed at all, as a public sector technical and organisational challenge rather than a social and economic element of health system governance shaping its links to the wider economy. This article uses fieldwork in Tanzania and Kenya in 2012-15 to analyse procurement of essential medicines and supplies as a governance process for the health system and its industrial links, drawing on aspects of global value chain theory. We describe procurement work processes as experienced by front line staff in public, faith-based and private sectors, linking these experiences to wholesale funding sources and purchasing practices, and examining their implications for medicines access and for local industrial development within these East African countries. We show that in a context of poor access to reliable medicines, extensive reliance on private medicines purchase, and increasing globalisation of procurement systems, domestic linkages between health and industrial sectors have been weakened, especially in Tanzania. We argue in consequence for a more developmental perspective on health sector procurement design, including closer policy attention to strengthening vertical and horizontal relational working within local health-industry value chains, in the interests of both wider access to treatment and improved industrial development in Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paula Tibandebage
- REPOA, 157 Mgombani Street, Regent Estate, P.O. Box 33223, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
| | - Mercy Karimi Njeru
- Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Mbagathi Rd., P.O. Box 54840, Nairobi, Kenya.
| | - Joan Kariuki Kungu
- African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), Gigiri Court 49, P.O. Box 45917-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
| | - Caroline Israel
- REPOA, 157 Mgombani Street, Regent Estate, P.O. Box 33223, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
| | - Phares G M Mujinja
- Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, United Nations Road, P.O.Box 65001, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
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