Availability of essential medicines for maternal health in public health facilities of the Mwanza region, northwestern Tanzania.

Background: One fundamental element of strengthening maternal health initiatives and outcomes involves improving medication access. However, most of the people in many low- and middle-income countries do not have access to these essential medicines for maternal and child health.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the availability of necessary medications for maternal health in public health facilities in Mwanza, Tanzania.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in April 2024 in public health facilities in Ilemela and Nyamagana districts. Availability of 13 essential medicines was collected from 36 public health facilities. Data was collected from the public health facilities' store records (ledgers and bin cards) using a checklist (data collection tool) adapted and modified from the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Action International tool.

Results: The overall median point availability of essential medicines for maternal health was 94.4% (interquartile range (IQR), 80.6-97.2). The overall public health facility median number of stock-outs (periods when medicines were unavailable) was 3, and the median number of stock-out days was 94 in the past 3 months. The most stocked-out medicines during the period were calcium gluconate (93.4%), misoprostol (32.9%), gentamicin (16.1%) and methyldopa (10.6%). Generally, medicines used only for the management of maternal health conditions were most stocked out compared to medicines with broader indications, 33.3% and 13.9%.

Conclusion: Despite a relatively high overall median point availability, frequent stock-outs were observed, particularly for critical medicines like calcium gluconate, misoprostol, gentamicin and methyldopa. Medicines used solely for maternal health were more likely to experience stock-outs compared to those with broader indications. These findings highlight the need for improved supply chain management and prioritization of maternal health-specific medicines to enhance the quality of maternal healthcare services in the region.