Computerized calculation of essential drug requirements.

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Pharmaceutical Management
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Effective essential drug programs are crucial but face implementation challenges in many WHO member states.
• Organizational difficulties, beyond political factors, hinder the widespread adoption of these programs.
• Previous manual applications of drug requirement calculation methods were cumbersome and inefficient.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a feasible methodology for calculating national drug requirements in developing countries.
• To optimize the allocation of essential drugs within a national health system.
• To demonstrate the potential for cost savings and improved drug availability through a refined methodology.

Main Methods:

• Developed and applied the demand-morbidity method for calculating national drug requirements in Gabon.
• Utilized standard treatments and estimated disease prevalence to determine drug needs.
• Integrated health information system data (hospitalization days, patient visits) for drug allocation.
• Leveraged modern microcomputers and standard software to enhance the method's speed and flexibility.

Main Results:

• The demand-morbidity method, modernized with microcomputers, proved feasible for implementation in developing nations.
• Calculated drug requirements for Gabon, leading to optimized allocation across health institutions.
• Identified a potential drug budget reduction of 45% for Gabon.
• Significantly improved the availability of essential drugs at all levels of the health system.

Conclusions:

• The modernized demand-morbidity method offers a practical solution to essential drug program implementation challenges.
• This approach enhances essential drug availability and achieves substantial cost savings in national drug budgets.
• The method fosters unprecedented interaction between health planners and peripheral healthcare staff.