Factors Affecting the Availability of Essential Health Commodities in Tanzania with a Special Focus on the Tracer Commodities

Background: Accessto essential health commodities is fundamental tohealthcare system efficacy. These commodities are vitalin delivering health services and formintegral elements within the World Health Organization\u27s strengthening framework, encompassingthe six foundational building blocks. Regrettably, there has been a global increasein shortages and stockouts of essential health commodities in recent years. Objective: The study aimed to identifyfactors influencingthe availability of essential health commodities throughout all levels of the supply chain in Tanzania. Methods: A cross-sectional convergent parallel mixed method study that employed both qualitative and quantitative data collection techniqueswas conducted. Quantitative data were analyzed using STATA version 16, whilequalitative datawere thematicallyanalyzed.Results: Factors contributing to stockoutsof essential commodities at the national level includedincreased demand, delayed shipments from donors, decreased funding commitments, delayed disbursement of funds, global shortages, inadequate governance, debt within the Medical Stores Department, donor dependency for vertical programmecommodities, and long lead times by Medical Stores Department’ssuppliers. At the regional and district levels, such factors include a shortage of human resources, lack of electronic medical records, limited interoperability of information systems, poor quality of logistics data, inadequate use of data for decision-making, and poor inventory management.At the healthcare facility level,factors included;an overwhelming number of exempted clients, which reducesfacility revenues. Conclusion: More efforts are still needed to address both the upstream and downstream challenges requiredto ensure sustainable access and availability of essential health commodities at service delivery points,as a pathway for improving health sector performance

Abstracts of Tanzania Health Summit 2020

This book contains the abstracts of the papers/posters presented at the Tanzania Health Summit 2020 (THS-2020) Organized by the Ministry of Health Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (MoHCDGEC); President Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG); Ministry of Health, Social Welfare, Elderly, Gender, and Children Zanzibar; Association of Private Health Facilities in Tanzania (APHFTA); National Muslim Council of Tanzania (BAKWATA); Christian Social Services Commission (CSSC); & Tindwa Medical and Health Services (TMHS) held on 25–26 November 2020. The Tanzania Health Summit is the annual largest healthcare platform in Tanzania that attracts more than 1000 participants, national and international experts, from policymakers, health researchers, public health professionals, health insurers, medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, private health investors, supply chain experts, and the civil society. During the three-day summit, stakeholders and decision-makers from every field in healthcare work together to find solutions to the country’s and regional health challenges and set the agenda for a healthier future. Summit Title: Tanzania Health SummitSummit Acronym: THS-2020Summit Date: 25–26 November 2020Summit Location: St. Gasper Hotel and Conference Centre in Dodoma, TanzaniaSummit Organizers: Ministry of Health Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (MoHCDGEC); President Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG); Ministry of Health, Social Welfare, Elderly, Gender and Children Zanzibar; Association of Private Health Facilities in Tanzania (APHFTA); National Muslim Council of Tanzania (BAKWATA); Christian Social Services Commission (CSSC); & Tindwa Medical and Health Services (TMHS)