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Browsing Protocols by Author "Mwale, Jeremiah"

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    Effects of pharmacy assistant training on medicine stock management in health centres in northern region of Malawi
    (Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, 2020-10-20) Mwale, Jeremiah
    The frequent drug shortages in the country’s hospitals is evidently becoming a growing concern and a common in most public health facilities. The persistent medicine shortage at health centre level is largely blamed on unqualified pharmacy personnel managing medicine and supply chain. Evidence generated from research studies has shown that use of unqualified staff in managing medicine at health centre impacts negatively on patient’s outcome. The Millennium Development Goal number 8 calls for universal access to quality health care services. It is our considered view that universal access can only be achieved with adequate qualified staff available to offer health services. There is a growing concern globally and more especially in low- and middle-income countries for shortage of qualified pharmacy personnel. Human resource shortage for pharmacy personnel has resulted into poor quality of health care services offered by unqualified personnel. Historically pharmacy assistant training program was the only pharmacy cadre trained in Malawi in 1977 before changing it to diploma program of pharmacy technician. The main purpose of the pharmacy assistant training program is to improve management and availability of medicine, improve dispensing practices and reporting at health centre level among other things. Currently there are about 630 health centres across the country that form about 85% of the health care system for the country. Although health centres constitute 85% of health care delivery system, it was sad to note that majority of pharmacies were not managed by qualified pharmacy personnel hence reintroduction of the pharmacy assistant training program. There is hope and growing consensus that the introduction of pharmacy assistants training program will improve general pharmacy management and eventually medicine availability. Preliminary results of Pharmacy Assistant training program evaluation show that was improvement in management of medicine as envisaged during program conceptualization process, there is however not enough evidence to show that there indeed that improvement in medicine availability, quality of reported data and timely reporting of logistics management information systems (LMIS). The study will be analyzing whether setbacks in the supply chain have any relationship with pharmacy training. The main objective will be to analyze effectiveness in the aftermath of undergoing training on managing medicine in health centres the Northern Region of Malawi. The specific objectives will be to; determine factors that affect pharmacy management in health centres in the northern region of Malawi, to establish the relationship between training and stock levels of traceable medicines in the health centres in northern region in Malawi and to determine data accuracies and completeness on LMIS report in relation to levels of training. This is a cross sectional study, which will employ quantitative methods in order to establish extent of effectiveness of pharmacy assistant training in management of medicine in their health facilities. It is expected that general pharmacy management in general particularly centering on stock availability, reporting and LMIS data accuracy should be improved in health facilities where pharmacy assistants work. Results of research findings will be disseminated in three fold as follows 1) the respondents, health centre in-charges and District Health officers 2) College of Medicine research dissemination seminar/Conference and College of Medicine Research Committee and 3) Results will be published for public usage. Three hard copies will be produced and one of these will be placed in the university library for public scrutiny, one copy for the research supervisor and final copy will be for the researcher.