Empirical study on drug and medical utensils supply in public Hospitals

Health is a basic Human right; hence one of the most important determinants of quality health service delivery is availability of essential drugs in public health facilities. Yet expenditure on health in general and that of drugs in particular in Africa are often lamented as being inadequate, inefficient, inequitable and unsustainable. This study examined deep across subject under the supply of Drugs and Medical Utensils in Public Hospitals. Drug Supply in Ethiopian Health sector conveyed as a very low rates. For those patients who visited public Hospitals (Mekelle and Quah), about 52.04% % were unhappy with the service delivery because drugs were not available and got medicine from private pharmacies with a higher price. Low income layer (66%) of the public hospital users in this study earn a salary below 120ETB moreover (28% are unemployed and 40% are students and farmers) in Mekelle and Quaha where the study was undertaken. They were exposed to unnecessary expenses to purchase drugs and medical utensils from the private pharmacies at high cost. On average private pharmacy price was greater than hospital price by 88.89% and this indicated that the service users were highly exploited by private pharmacy service suppliers and this was the result of low accessibility in public hospitals of the most demanded medicines and utensils.