title: Drug utilisation, supply and expenditure at Chitungwiza, Gweru, Mpilo, Parirenyatwa and United Bulawayo Hospitals in one year (1987-1988).
abstract: From 1987 to 1988 a total of 759,602 items were supplied to the five hospitals at a cost of Z$4,603,256.17. Over that period 373,203 (49.13pc) were supplied by the Government Medical Stores (GMS) at a cost of Z$1,341,675.32 while 386,399 (50.87pc) of the items were supplied by the Private Sector (PS) at a cost of Z$3,261,580.85. The disease pattern in hospitals' main causes of admission was used as a parameter to indicate the rationality of drug use and expenditure. The defined daily dose (DD), was used as a standard of comparison on drug usage at the five hospitals. Anti-infectives ranked highest in both use and expenditure in most hospitals while cytotoxics and vitamins respectively accounted for the highest expenditures and usage at Parirenyatwa hospital. The source of drug supplies to the hospitals was mainly the PS. Foreign currency shortages and the ineffective distribution system in the GMS seem to play an important factor in the provision and the utilisation of drugs in the public sector. In the public sector, physicians often prescribe expensive brand name products rather than the corresponding generic drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Zimbabwe Medical School, Avondale, Harare.
authors.forename: F B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Nhachi
authors.forename: O J
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Kasilo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mutengezanwa
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Zvandaziva
mesh_terms: D016527:Drug Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006291:Health Policy; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015030:Zimbabwe
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations