EJOC105-384-1 |Received: 09 August 2017 | Accepted: 09 September 2017 | January-December-2017 [(6)1: 255-265]
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH
© 2017 CREATIVE COMMON ATTRIBUTION | Volume 6| Issue 1 | ISSN: 2444-8151
Concatenating E-Procurement Processes and Health
Supply Systems in Ghana to Promote Efficiency: A Critical
Review
Patrick Boateng Sarpong
1
, Du Jianguo
1
, Kingsley Appiah
1
, Thomas Bilaliib Udimal
1
1
School of Management, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, P.R. China
Corresponding author: Prof Du Jianguo (jgdu2005@163.com)
ABSTRACT
The last decade has witnessed a lot of development in the Healthcare sector in Ghana in many respects.
Healthcare now ranks among the top sectors in terms of revenue and continues to generate a lot of
employment. The healthcare industry is one of the fastest growing industries in Ghana and estimates suggest
that the overall market is around GHC 6.5 billion. Yet Ghana’s healthcare industry faces a lot of challenges at
the moment. Be it the exponential growth in demand for safe treatments at an economical price or escalating
cost of running healthcare services, the sector needs to gear up to support growth that matches the domestic
and international demand. This review explores the extent to which e-procurement can help to eliminate some
of the core challenges confronting the healthcare sector in Ghana. It explores the roles of all players involved
in procurement such as hospitals, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment suppliers, diagnostics providers,
government and regulatory agencies to support the effective deployment and sustainability of e-procurement
in the Ghanaian healthcare sector.
.
Keywords: Ghana, Healthcare Supply Systems, Efficiency, Challenges and E-procurement
INTRODUCTION
The last decade has witnessed a lot of development
in the Healthcare sector in Ghana in many respects.
Healthcare now ranks among the top sectors in terms
of revenue and continues to generate a lot of
employment. The healthcare industry is one of the
fastest growing industries in Ghana and estimates
suggest that the overall market is around GHC 6.5
billion. According to the data provided by the
Institute of Statistical and Economic Research,
Ghana’s healthcare expenditure is 4.5% of the GDP.
With a population of more than 25 million, Ghana’s
per-capita healthcare expenditure has augmented
with the growing population and the country is
determined to achieve Universal Health Coverage for
all within the next foreseeable future. This would
provide comprehensive health security to every
citizen of the country. As nearly 65% of Ghanaians
live in rural areas and there is a lot of scope to
enhance healthcare services in these rural areas. As
the sector continues to grow, e-Tendering and online
procurement solutions will drive efficient execution
of growth plans. It will enable reduction in the
administrative cost and turnaround time to procure
equipment’s. Yet Ghana’s healthcare industry faces a
lot of challenges at the moment. Be it the exponential
growth in demand for safe treatments at an
economical price or escalating cost of running
healthcare services, the sector needs to gear up to
support growth that matches the domestic and
international demand. According to a report by
McKinsey, though the total bed density has
witnessed an increase, it still remains below the
WHO guidelines of 3.5 beds per 1000. Lack of
adequate paramedical manpower remains a major
challenge just as scarcity of medical practitioners to
meet the healthcare problems of the country. The
demand demographics and available infrastructure
has huge gaps. Existing infrastructure resources
remain largely underutilized. There is a lot of out of
pocket spending. This review explores the extent to
which e-procurement can help to eliminate some of
the core challenges confronting the healthcare sector