INVESTIGATING THE EVOLUTION OF OPTIMAL PRODUCT AVAILABILITY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS IN KATSINA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to explore the evolution of the availability of public health commodities across all the supported health facilities in Katsina State, northwestern Nigeria. Methods: To achieve this, Quarterly Stock Status Reports (QSSR) were produced from the analysis of the Logistics Management Information System (LMIS) reports of facilities, local government stores, and central stores of all the public health programs in the state from April 2017 to March 2018 (one year). Analyses entailed computing the Month of Stock (MoS) for all commodities by dividing their Stock on Hand (SoH) by the Average Monthly Consumption (AMC). The product availability for the following public health programs was assessed for four consecutive quarters (Apr.-Jun. 2017, Jul.-Sep. 2017, Oct.-Dec. 2017, and Jan.-Mar. 2018)-HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, reproductive health/family planning (FP), routine immunization, nutrition, Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD), Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH), and the state’s Free Medicare Scheme (FMS). Results: The one-year trend provided a precise representation of the commodity security of each public health supply chain across various programs within the state. While only one program (routine immunization) recorded 100% all-time product availability, TB appeared to be the most stable (95% of products in optimal quantities) of all the assessed public health programs employing MoS as a performance measure. It is important to note that nutrition, neglected tropical diseases, and the Free Medicare scheme did not operate with MoS as a measure of stock status but recorded product availability of 78.5%, 80%, and 84.6%, respectively. Conclusion: There is a necessity for periodic stock assessment across all public health programs for other states to establish accurate stock positions and identify programs that require enhanced logistical and supply chain technical support.