Perceptions Toward the Practice, Performance and Challenges of Humanitarian Logistics Management of Public Health Emergency Pharmaceuticals: The Case of Ethiopian Public Health Emergency Management

Abstract

Abstract Background: The field of humanitarian logistics encompasses the interconnected network of a series of decision-making processes and the execution of tasks on the movement of goods, information, and funds among beneficiaries, donors, and suppliers to save lives and alleviate suffering. The success of emergency response operations is significantly influenced by the efficiency of humanitarian logistics. This study aims to help humanitarian organizations in Ethiopia measure perceptions of practice and performance and identify, visualize, estimate and control challenges that disrupt the practice and performance of humanitarian logistics management and pose a significant threat to access for healthcare services to beneficiaries. Methods: An explanatory case study research design was employed for this study to understand the problem more efficiently.. A mixed approach (quantitative and qualitative) is used and data were collected during the same period. A total of 92 professionals in technical and managerial positions working in nine directorates who were directly involved in the core humanitarian logistics management activities were included in the study using census method. Findings– Twenty challenges were identified and categorized into five groups and organizational challenges and economic challenges found to be the top two influential challenges. A similar challenge profile was recorded among all challenge categories across organizations. The findings of this study showed that humanitarian logistics management (HLM) is moderately practiced , in which inventory management took the first highly practiced position, followed by distribution management. Conversely, procurement and transportation management were poorly practiced. However, the practice of HLM varies across organizations under study, in which the practice at Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) is higher compared with Minstry of healthand Ethiopian Pharmaceuticals Supply Service counterparts. The oveall perceived HLM performance (Reliability, Responsiveness, Agility, Cost, Asset Management) of Public health emergency Pharmaceuticals in the study organizations (EPSS, EPHI, and MOH) is high with a grand mean of 3.58 Conclusion: The aforementioned inefficiencies can block humanitarian operations in part or totally, and delay or reduce delivery of pharmaceuticals to beneficiaries (patients) , which in turn cause loss of life and suffering and bear unnecessary costs .