Essential medicine stock-outs in rural primary health care – exploring the contribution of politics and resulting perceptions in Kasulu District, Tanzania

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dc.contributor.authorDamian, Respicius Shumbusho
dc.contributor.authorBana, Benson
dc.contributor.authorKessy, Ambrose
dc.date.accessioned2019-02-14T11:37:05Z
dc.date.available2019-02-14T11:37:05Z
dc.date.issued2018-07-10
dc.description.abstractStock-outs of essential medicines and medical items remains a persistent problem in Tanzania, despite the several policy initiatives and interventions since the 1990s. We conducted a qualitative case study, which involved 24 in-depth interviews and eight focus group discussions with the Community Health Fund stakeholders who were facility in-charges, grassroots leaders, and members of Health Facility Governance Committees from eight primary health facilities in Kasulu District Council. The analysis involved transcribing and coding textual data to identify the key themes that emerged. The study identified four main themes that explained how the politics contribute to persistent stock outs, especially: 1) stock-outs as capital in electoral politics; 2) misinformation and rent-seeking; 3) dyads among street-level bureaucrats; and 4) competition and struggle for power and control over resources. We also identified four themes reflecting the dominant perceptions associated with stock-outs in the study communities namely: 1) feeling marginalized; 2) mistrust and suspicion of authority; 3) frustration of health workers; and 4) informal drug sellers as ‘the best'. These perceptions influence the way communities tend to define their role in health care financing and governance as well as the relationship between communities and health workers. While economic, administrative, and technical forces might influence stock outs, the politics within the management and governance of the Community Health Fund, which included rent-seeking, misinformation, and competition, significantly affected the legitimacy of the Community Health Fund. The resulting low enrollment and unwillingness to contribute makes medicines’ financing from community sources unsustainable. Therefore, empowering communities to mobilize locally available resources and exercise autonomous control over financial resources and medicine is imperative for addressing persistent stock outs.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThe Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) and the University of Dar es Salaam supported this research. CARTA is jointly led by the African Population and Health Research Center and the University of the Witwatersrand and funded by the Wellcome Trust (UK)(Grant No: 087547/Z/08/Z), the Department for International Development (DfID) under the Development Partnerships in Higher Education (DelPHE), the Carnegie Corporation of New York (Grant No: B 8606), the Ford Foundation (Grant No: 1100-0399),Google.Org (Grant No: 191994), Sida (Grant No: 54100029) and MacArthur Foundation Grant No: 10-95915-000-INP. The funding organizations did not contribute to the design of the study or analysis and interpretation of the data.en_US
dc.identifier.citationDamian, R.S., Bana, B. and Kessy, A. (2018), “Essential medicine stock-outs in rural primary health care – exploring the contribution of politics and resulting perceptions in Kasulu District, Tanzania”, International Journal of Development and Sustainability, Vol. 7 No. 10, pp. 2486-2513en_US
dc.identifier.issn2186-8662 – www.isdsnet.com/ijds
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11810/5032
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherInternational Journal of Development and Sustainabilityen_US
dc.subjectPrimary Health Care; Medicine Stock Outs; Community Health Fund; Politics; Tanzaniaen_US
dc.titleEssential medicine stock-outs in rural primary health care – exploring the contribution of politics and resulting perceptions in Kasulu District, Tanzaniaen_US
dc.typeJournal Article, Peer Revieweden_US
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