Research Paper


Report on the acquisition, storage and distribution of medicines—Let’s Transform Honduras

Chapter: Honduras | Year: 2014

Chapter details

About the chapter:

The Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa (Association for a More Just Society, ASJ) is the Honduran Transparency International Chapter - a non-profit organization that promotes justice and peace through advocating for the transformation of the state system and the empowerment of the Honduran people. ASJ aims to achieve a more just society in which the rights of the most vulnerable are guaranteed and met. Founded in Honduras in 1998, ASJ has worked to fight corruption and strengthen public institutions in the health, education and security sectors whilst empowering the civil society to claim their rights and carry out social accountability efforts for the past 23 years now. Since 2015, ASJ has overseen nine public institutions with special emphasis on health, education and security and three management areas: procurement, human resources and statistics. Through a compliance review, ASJ measures their compliance with the law and best practices. This oversight has led to an average increase of 30 points, going from 33% to 63%. In the health sector, ASJ has also promoted integrity agreements, participates in a Technical Committee in charge of purchasing medications, and issues occasional research documents.

CPI Score: 29

CPI Rank: 132


View chapter Profile

Download

Download Research

Theory of Change

Policy & Insititutional Change
Better Institutional Processes

Abstract

Association for a more Just Society (ASJ) is part of Let's Transform Honduras (TH), a network of civil society organisations aiming to generate positive changes in various sectors, including health.

In this context, TH decided to conduct a research study on the acquisition, storage and distribution of medicines by the Ministry of Health. The purpose of this study was threefold:
1. Understand how the acquisition, storage and distribution of medicines happens, from the MOH's Central Distribution Post to the hospitals and other public health centres.
2. Identify any gaps/faults regarding the technical aspects (e.g. infrastructure, transportation, etc.), as well as control and transparency measures (analysis of weak points that could provide a space for corruption)
3. Provide recommendations that could help address corruption risks.

Methodology

1. Desk-based research and analysis of primary sources
2. Interviews
3. Analysis of gathered information

Findings

  1. Inadequate infrastructure and substandard storage conditions can negatively affect the quality of medicines.
  2. There are considerable differences between the numbers found in the Kardex, which refers to the manually conducted inventory control, and the numbers registered electronically.
  3. The process of acquiring medicines through the Central Distribution Post varies and does not always follow the guidelines set out in the manual.

Recommendations

  1. Redefine its operational policies and make them more realistic, especially with regard to the infrastructure management.
  2. If the manual recording system kardes continues, it is important to implement a template to make sure records are consistent across all regions.
  3. Have a list of authorised people, with their respective signatures, to receive and take medicines from the Central Distribution Post as well as the other regional posts.
  4. Redefine its policies regarding medicines' registration practices (e.g. registry of quantities, values, and their distribution practices).