2731 International Journal of Medical Science and Clinical Invention, vol. 4, Issue 3, March, 2017 International Journal of Medical Science and Clinical Inventions 4(3): 2731-2739, 2017 DOI:10.18535/ijmsci/ v4i3.2 ICV 2015: 52.82 e-ISSN: 2348-991X , p-ISSN: 2454-9576 © 2017, IJMSCI Research Article Predictors of Efficiency in the Supply Chain Management of Essential Medicines Tshisikhawe Baldwin Phume 1 , Zeleke Worku 2 Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Business School,159 Nana Sita Street, Pretoria 0001, South Africa, Fax: (+27-12) 382 3052 ABSTRACT: A study was conducted in Limpopo Province, South Africa to assess and evaluate factors that undermine the quality of service delivery in the management of essential medicines. The study was based on a stratified random sample of size 135 health facilities scattered across the Province of Limpopo. Stratification was done by health district. Data was collected by using a structured, pretested and validated questionnaire of study. Criteria set out by Fauci (2008) and the World Health Organisation (Mendis, Fukino, Cameron, Laing, Filipe Jr, Khatib, Leowski & Ewen, 2007) were used as benchmark for the assessment of quality of services. The results showed that standards followed for storing and dispensing essential medicines were inadequate in 100 of the 135 health facilities that took part in the study (74.07%), whereas the standards followed for storing and dispensing essential medicines were adequate in 35 of the 135 health facilities (25.93%) that were selected for the study. Results obtained from binary logistic regression analysis showed that adherence to WHO standards on the proper management of essential medicines at health facilities was influenced by 3 factors. These 3 predictor variables of study were: adherence to recruitment policy, taking inventory of essential medicines regularly, and the availability of adequate storage facility for essential medicines, in a decreasing order of strength. Key words: Limpopo Province, Supply Chain Management, Essential medicines, WHO standards, Efficiency, Odds ratios INTRODUCTION The study was conducted in the province of Limpopo in order to assess the overall efficiency with which essential medicines were managed in health facilities. The benchmark for adequate services was defined according to the requirements, guidelines and regulations issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2007) to member countries. Essential medicines include all drugs and medical supplies that are listed on the list of medical supplies that must be made available at all times at all private and public health facilities operating in South Africa. In this regard, it is the duty and obligation of the South African National Department of Health (2016) to ensure the availability of essential medicines at all public health care facilities. The Limpopo Provincial Government of Health (2016) is equally responsible for ensuring the availability of essential medicines at all health care facilities operating in the province of Limpopo. The South African Constitution of 1996 (South African National Government Communications and Information Systems, 1996) states that all South Africans are entitled to adequate health care services in which essential medicines are required by law to be made available at all public and private health facilities. A complex supply chains web are used for manufacturing, storing, transporting and disseminating essential medicines to the patients. The purpose of this study was to assess and evaluate the degree of efficiency with which essential medicines were managed in health care facilities in the province of Limpopo by using WHO standards as a benchmark. The study was conducted by gathering empirical data from employees whose duty is to manage essential medicines in public and private health facilities operating in Limpopo Province. According to Quick and Rankin (2005) medicines save lives and improve health, their non-availability increases the burden of disease. Many leading causes of discomfort, disability and premature death can be prevented, treated or at least alleviated with cost-effective essential medicines (Embrey, 2012). According to Constitution of South Africa, access to affordable essential medicines is a basic human right and a vital component of an efficient health care system. One of the objectives of the National Drug Policy (NDP) is therefore to ensure the availability and accessibility of essential medicines to all citizens of South Africa (NDOH, 2015). In order to address such issues, factors affecting the performance of essential medicines need to be identified in order to give guidelines to managers throughout the health system. In order to achieve this, the South Africa National Department of Health set of National Core Standards (NCS) (NDOH, 2015). Currently, Limpopo Department of Health (LDoH) has outsourced the distribution and warehousing of pharmaceuticals (Bennett, Quick & Velasquez, 2010; Summers, Moller, Meyer & Botha, 2011). From this background this study is to attempts to identity the current challenges faced by the pharmaceutical supply system in Limpopo Province and to determine factors affecting the performance of essential medicines supply chain management.