Perception of hospital pharmacists/dispensing personnel of the essential drugs concepts (EDC) in Zimbabwe
Nhachi, C.F.; Kasilo, O.J.
East African Medical Journal 70(2): 94-97
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0012-835X PMID: 8513750 Document Number: 414603
Of 100 health centres in Zimbabwe that were sent questionnaires on the Essential Drugs Concept, 54 responded. These centres served over 6 million people (70% of the country's population). Sixty-five percent of the responders (37% pharmacists and 28% pharmacy technicians) were professionals trained in dispensing. Of the dispensing personnel, 22% had been trained after the introduction of the WHO Essential Drugs Concept in 1983. Nearly 90% of the respondents indicated that they used the Essential Drugs List in Zimbabwe handbook, but only about 60% acknowledged full knowledge of the Essential Drugs Concept. The most important impediment to compliance with the concept was the unreliability of drug delivery, caused in turn by the inefficient transportation system. The most frequently dispensed drugs were paracetamol, co-trimoxazole, tetracycline, chloroquine and aspirin (16.5%, 12.7%, 10.3%, 6.5% and 6.1% of the total). Antibiotics were the most frequently dispensed drug group (44%), followed by analgesics (26%). Sexually transmitted diseases, acute respiratory infections and malaria accounted for 20.7%, 15.7% and 11.2%, respectively, of the total diseases/complaints recorded. Despite the finding that the Essential Drugs Concept was widely acknowledged and followed, there were too many health professionals who were dispensing without adequate training. W. Houston The perception of hospital pharmacists/dispensing personnel of the essential drugs concept in Zimbabwe was prospectively evaluated. To this end, 100 ad hoc questionnaires were mailed to the health professional cadre around the country in October 1989. Some 54 health centres responded. These consisted of four central hospitals, three provincial, 22 general and district, and 14 rural hospitals, seven private hospitals/clinics and four city polyclinics. These health centres serve an estimated population of six million people in rural and urban areas. Of the dispensing personnel, 22% had been trained in their respective health professions after 1983, i.e., after the introduction of the essential drugs concept. Around 65% of the respondents had a working knowledge of the concept. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians made up 59% of the dispensing personnel, while nurses accounted for 32%. Significantly, all respondents used the Essential Drugs List in Zimbabwe handbook and they thought the concept a good one.