TY - JOUR
T1 - Variation in the availability and cost of essential medicines for non-communicable diseases in Uganda
T2 - A descriptive time series analysis
AU - Armstrong-Hough, Mari
AU - Sharma, Srish
AU - Kishore, Sandeep P.
AU - Akiteng, Ann R.
AU - Schwartz, Jeremy I.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2020 Armstrong-Hough et al.
PY - 2020/12
Y1 - 2020/12
N2 - Background: Availability of essential medicines for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is poor in lowand middle-income countries. Availability and cost are conventionally assessed using cross-sectional data. However, these characteristics may vary over time. Methods: We carried out a prospective, descriptive analysis of the availability and cost of essential medicines in 23 Ugandan health facilities over a five-week period. We surveyed facility pharmacies in-person up to five times, recording availability and cost of 19 essential medicines for NCDs and four essential medicines for communicable diseases. Results: Availability of medicines varied substantially over time, especially among public facilities. Among private-for-profit facilities, the cost of the same medicine varied from week to week. Private-not-for-profit facilities experienced less dramatic fluctuations in price. Conclusions: We conclude that there is a need for standardized, continuous monitoring to better characterize the availability and cost of essential medicines, understand demand for these medicines, and reduce uncertainty for patients.
AB - Background: Availability of essential medicines for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is poor in lowand middle-income countries. Availability and cost are conventionally assessed using cross-sectional data. However, these characteristics may vary over time. Methods: We carried out a prospective, descriptive analysis of the availability and cost of essential medicines in 23 Ugandan health facilities over a five-week period. We surveyed facility pharmacies in-person up to five times, recording availability and cost of 19 essential medicines for NCDs and four essential medicines for communicable diseases. Results: Availability of medicines varied substantially over time, especially among public facilities. Among private-for-profit facilities, the cost of the same medicine varied from week to week. Private-not-for-profit facilities experienced less dramatic fluctuations in price. Conclusions: We conclude that there is a need for standardized, continuous monitoring to better characterize the availability and cost of essential medicines, understand demand for these medicines, and reduce uncertainty for patients.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85099038756&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0241555
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0241555
M3 - Article
C2 - 33362249
AN - SCOPUS:85099038756
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 15
JO - PLoS ONE
JF - PLoS ONE
IS - 12 December
M1 - e0241555
ER -