A qualitative comparative study of public pharmaceutical procurement and distribution system in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka

Abstract

With the exploding rate of population increase, escalating health care costs and high expectations of the health care delivery system, the sustainability of the present public pharmaceutical procurement system has become untenable. The policy makers are struggling with the existing broader health care reforms. Clinical managers and clinical- leaders are striving hard to recognize the delivery of health care and promote evidence-guided decision making to initiate a culture of inter-professional collaboration with quality improvement; Pharmaceutical pro- curement for government run health institutions is a complex process. It involves many procedures, agencies, ministries and pharmaceutical manufacturers. The existing institutional infrastructure, health policies, rules and regulations are inadequate and hamper the overall efficiency in responding to the end users (common population). No matter what type of model is incorporated to build and manage the drug procurement and distribution system, introduction of efficient, systematic procedures like selection of cost-effective essential medicines, quantification of needs based on real-time requirements, pre-selection of potential suppliers, regular monitoring of the performance of various factors that affects the functionality of the procurement system. Botch in any of these factors is a catastrophe, leading to wastage of limited resources. Procurement cycle comprises of interlinked stages where any change occurring in one stage, its results are reflected in the other stages as shown in Figure 1; This paper demonstrates a comparative study conducted to analyze the origin and function of the public drug pro- curement system followed in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. It’s a qualitative study that highlights the success of Tamil Nadu Medical Corporation Services Ltd and how Karnataka State Drug and Logistics Warehousing Society is still striving to meet the needs of the people.