ArticleInquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financing
I Buy Medicines From the Streets Because I Am Poor: A Qualitative Account on why the Informal Market for Medicines Thrive in Ivory Coast.
Article in Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financing. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed.
- Logics of acquiring medicines from informal retailers in four African countries.Global health action · 2025Article
- Leveraging a people-centred approach to combat antimicrobial resistance in Africa.Tropical medicine and health · 2025Review
- They don't want to close Roxy: a qualitative account on the perceived efforts by Ivory Coast to end the informal market for medicines.Health policy OPEN · 2025Article
- Knowledge and Practices on Household Disposal of Unused Antimicrobials in Ho Municipality, Ghana.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Prevalence and Factors Associated With the Informal Market for Medicines in Benin: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Issues associated with malaria self-medication in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis.MalariaWorld journal · 2025Article
- Exploring Antibiotic Use in the Community: A Household-Based Survey Using the Drug Bag Method in Rural Burkina Faso.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Drivers of vulnerability to medicine smuggling and combat strategies: a qualitative study based on online news media analysis in Iran.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Choosing and accessing COVID-19 treatment options: a qualitative study with patients, caregivers, and health care providers in Lebanon.Health research policy and systems · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
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Abstract
The informal market for medicines has been growing. In Ivory Coast, this informal market is an unofficial core part of the health system. Given the risks associated with the informal market for medicines, it is important to understand why this market continues to grow. It becomes even more important in the context of COVID-19, as a huge chunk of falsified medical products end up at the informal market. A qualitative case study design was chosen for this study, with in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) being the methods for data collection. 20 IDIs and 3 FGDs were conducted. Participants in this study are sellers, buyers, and pharmaceutical experts. We found out that the informal market for medicines thrives because it is highly accessible, convenient, affordable, and that it is used for various social, cultural, and religious reasons. The study concludes that although this informal market presents a clear danger to public health, it is thriving. For authorities to address this public health challenge, there is need for a holistic and multi-pronged approach, which includes addressing health systems factors and strengthening regulatory framework.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.