ArticleBMJ open2021
Access to essential medicines for children: a cross-sectional survey measuring medicine prices, availability and affordability in Hanam province, Vietnam.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Global, regional and national availability of essential medicines for children, 2009-2020: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2023Pooled it
- Antibiotic self-medication and home storage among university students in Vietnam: a cross-sectional study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Access to pediatric oncology medicine in Iran: a cross-sectional survey in Urmia.BMC pediatrics · 2025Article
- Prevalence and associated factors of antibiotic self-medication and home storage among antibiotic users: a cross-sectional study in Vietnam.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Vietnamese people's behavior and future intention to purchase medicines and functional foods on the internet: a cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Purchasing medicines and functional foods on the internet: a cross-sectional study investigating the knowledge, attitudes, and experience of Vietnamese people in 2023.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Financial burden faced by breastfeeding mothers caring for children diagnosed with cancer in Ghana; an exploratory qualitative study.BMC women's health · 2024Article
- Evaluation of marketing authorization and labels of medicines in 2021 WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children in China, the Russian Federation and Brazil.Health research policy and systems · 2024Article
- Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs and Corticosteroids Use Among Patients With Chronic Rheumatology Condition: A Cross-Sectional Study From Vietnam.Clinical medicine insights. Arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Article
- Assessment of availability and challenges of WHO recommended priority life-saving medicines for under five-year children in primary public health facilities of Amhara region.BMC pediatrics · 2023Article
- Article
- Systems Challenges in Accessing Medicines among Children under Thailand's Universal Health Coverage: A Qualitative Study of a Provincial Public Hospital Network.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo identify the availability, prices and affordability of essential medicines for children (cEMs) in Hanam province, Vietnam.
designCross-sectional study.
settingOne city and five districts of Hanam province.
participants66 public health facilities and 66 private drugstores. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The standardised methodology of the WHO and Health Action International was used to investigate 30 paediatric essential medicines. For each medicine, data were collected for two products: the lowest-priced medicine (LPM) and the highest-priced medicine (HPM). The availability of medicine was computed as the percentage of facilities in which this medicine was found on the day of data collection. Median prices of individual medicines were reported in local currency. Affordability was calculated as the number of days' wages required for the lowest-paid unskilled government worker to purchase standard treatments for common diseases. Data were analysed using R software V.4.1.0.
resultsThe mean availability of LPMs in the private sector (33.2%, SD=38.0%) was higher than that in the public sector (24.9%, SD=39.4%) (p<0.05). The mean availability of HPMs was extremely low in both sectors (11.3% and 5.8%, respectively). The mean availability of cEMs in urban areas was significantly higher than that in rural areas (36.5% and 31.6%, respectively, p<0.05). In the public sector, the prices of LPMs were nearly equal to the international reference prices (IRPs). In the private sector, LPMs were generally sold at 4.06 times their IRPs. However, in both sectors, the affordability of LPMs was reasonable for most conditions as standard treatments only cost a day's wage or less.
conclusionThe low availability was the main reason hindering access to cEMs in Hanam, especially in the countryside. A national study on cEMs should be conducted, and some practical policies should be promulgated to enhance access to cEMs.
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