Assessment of Pharmaceutical Donation Practices and Patterns Among Public Hospitals in Central Gondar Zone and Gondar City, Amhara Region, 2020-2024

Abstract

Donations of pharmaceuticals promote access to healthcare, particularly in underdeveloped regions of the world. However, inappropriate pharmaceutical donations may cause more problems than good for recipients. This study aims to assess practices and patterns of pharmaceutical donation among public hospitals in Central Gondar Zone and Gondar City. The study was conducted from March 2024 to June 2024. A facility-based descriptive cross-sectional study design was utilized. A total of 10 PHs and 69 respondents who were eligible for the study were involved. Data on the practce of pharmaceutical donation in the public hospitals was collected using a structured questionnaire through interviews and observation. Perceived compliance with good pharmaceutical donation practice was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. A record review of donated pharmaceuticals during three completed Ethiopian Fiscal years (2020/21-2022/23) using a data extraction tool was employed to assess patterns of pharmaceutical donation. Data for practice and patterns was analysed using Microsoft Excel, whereas perceived compliance was analysed using SPSS version 25 software. The results showed that the hospital pharmacy department is responsible for coordinating and managing pharmaceutical donations (100%). Only 1(10%) hospital had a standard operating procedure for managing pharmaceutical donation, and half of the hospitals did not follow any guideline at all. No hospital had a list of needed and prioritized items for donation other than health programs. All hospitals simply accept and use if usable and accept and dispose of if not usable for all donated pharmaceuticals (100%). Medicines were the most commonly donated types of pharmaceuticals, both by number (44.94%) and value (38.90%). The majority of the pharmaceutical donations were supplied from or through government bodies (76.78%). Long-term donations accounted for 67.98% of the total pharmaceuticals donated on average in the three years. The overall aggregate mean score for perceived compliance with good pharmaceutical donation practice was 2.82, and only 44.44% had a positive perception towards the issue. The lowest aggregate mean score was obtained for medical equipment and devices (2.64). Of all the 45 items for measuring perceived compliance, the lowest mean item rating score was documented for the sustainable accessibility of accessories and spare parts for medical equipment (1.91± 1.05). Management of pharmaceutical donations among public hospitals in the study area had significant deviation from the guidelines’ recommendations. Government bodies, public hospitals, and donors should work collaboratively to devise strategies to promote good pharmaceutical donation practice