What Causes Medicine Shortages in Primary Health Centres?

Abstract

Availability of essential medicines in public health facilities is one of the issues of concern for effective health care delivery in Maharashtra. There are several implications of unavailability of medicines, such as unwarranted out-of-pocket expenditures and consequent indebtedness in some cases. Medicine unavailability is also one of the major reasons for lower utilization of the public health system. Thus, present study was undertaken to enhance understanding of the problem of medicine unavailability, as well as the process of indent and supply from the primary health centre (PHC) and other functional aspects linked with availability, such as inventory management and different sources of medicine supply. Using case study method, the study examines data from two PHCs in Pune district, Maharashtra. Findings of the study indicate several lacunae in the existing indent and supply system of medicines in Maharashtra. Some of the medicines were supplied through multiple sources and yet, these medicines were NIL in stock. Inventory management of the medicines was rather inadequate. Medicine supply system is not demand responsive. Hence, major reforms in the current medicine indent–supply system are essential to ensure adequate supply of medicines to the patients in the public health system.