Abstract

H. Saouadogo* and M. Compaore

To solve the problem of essential medicines availability and affordability in the public hospital of Burkina Faso, the Ministry of health conducted a research to implement a hospital pharmacy in each public hospital. The survey expected outcomes include the establishment of an effective self-sustaining essential medicines supply system and promoting community involvement in providing health care by registered deliverance at the patient bed in each hospital. This paper aims to highlight the finding of recent essential medicine availability and the situation of the hospital pharmacy management quality from March 19th to May 29th, 2008. The survey has been performed in nine regional hospitals (CHR) and three university hospitals (CHU) and was realized with five outpatients, five inpatients, pharmacists, physicians and hospital managers. The results indicated that the public hospital system has 22 beds per 100 000 habitants and the average ratio of the essential generic medicines procurement and supply on the hospital budget is 0.9%. To facilitate the medicines access, each hospital is using the supply agreement and the request for proposal or the purchasing order. The pharmaceutical products supply and distribution problems in the hospitals are the main handicap of the health facilities in each hospital. The average cost of prescription for one prescription costs 5187 CFA (8 Euros) in the University Hospital Centres (CHU) and 3841 FCFA (6 Euros) in the Regional Hospital Centres (CHR). In the CHU, only 39% of the prescribed pharmaceutical products are available, but in CHR, only 61% of the pharmaceutical products are available. Conclusion: This survey provides evidence that the essential medicines are less available and affordable for the households in the CHUs. In 2007, the patients spend 78%, in the CHUs, and only 07%, in the CHRs, of their gross domestic product (GDP) for paying the essential medicines fee. For developing the hospital pharmacy, Burkina Faso must create a hospital pharmacy supplier and build a very good status, career and treatment for the pharmacists. Therefore, other question is how the municipality’s councils must be involved in the hospital pharmacy by the municipal health fund?