ReviewJournal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences2024
Factors Affecting the Availability and Utilization of Essential Medicines in India: A Systematic Review.
Review in Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Public healthcare system preparedness and community perceptions on comprehensive preconception care service delivery in Maharashtra, India.The Indian journal of medical research · 2026Article
- Observational
- Pathways to Care, Out- of- Pocket Expenditure, and Associated Factors Among Breast Cancer Patients in Kerala, India: A Hospital-Based Cross- Sectional Study.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2026Article
- Local systems, local solutions: which factors drive essential medicine availability in public health facilities across Indonesia?BMJ global health · 2026Article
- Standard Treatment Workflows: scaling system-compatible approaches to rational antibiotic use.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Determinants, Models, performances, and strategies of supply chain to address medicine stockouts in primary health care: a scoping review.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2026Review
- Access to essential medicines in aspirational districts of India; A multi-site cross sectional study.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2025Article
- Availability and utilization of oral healthcare services at rural community health centers in South India: a mixed methods study.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Availability, price and affordability of essential medicines for managing cardiovascular disease in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Assessing the performance of local pharmaceutical systems: An analytical approach to improve access to medicine.The journal of medicine accessReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Essential medicines or drugs are recognized as highly cost-effective components within contemporary healthcare, demonstrating significant potential for improving health outcomes. The provision of essential medicines directly impacts the functioning of healthcare facilities, resulting in financial hardship. This review aims to fill knowledge gaps by examining obstacles hindering access and utilization of essential medicines in India. This study conducted a comprehensive evidence synthesis, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, to analyse articles on the availability and utilization of essential medicines in India. The search strategy included various databases and keywords. Published, peer-reviewed articles focusing on the National/ State List of Essential Medicines and meeting specific criteria were considered. Data items included essential medicines, drug availability, utilization, and challenges. Data was extracted, synthesized, and analysed using thematic framework analysis. Out of 1,129 articles, 11 were selected for review. Studies consistently highlighted the inadequate availability of essential medicines in different Indian states. Availability of essential medicines varies in the range of 17-51 percent across major states of India. Stock-outs of medicines vary from 4 to 14 weeks. Governance issues including differential procurement mechanisms across states of India, hinder seamless availability of essential medicines. Other challenges included distribution and purchasing system inefficiencies, governance-related issues, and facility/ user-level challenges impacting drug utilization. Disruptions in utilization were observed due to improper prescription practices and non-availability of affordable options. Accessibility and affordability also affected drug utilization. Issues with supply chain management and conflicting guidelines further contributed to the obstacles faced in ensuring availability and utilization of essential medicines in India. Ensuring the availability, accessibility, and affordability of essential medicines is of utmost importance. The public health system needs to strengthen its procurement and distribution management. Strengthening the logistics support for an efficient supply of essential medicines will reduce the time lag in receipt of drugs. Guidelines on essential drugs prepared by the National Health System Resource Centre need to be strictly adhered to and monitored in inventory management system. There is an urgent need to develop a sustainable model for achieving uniformity in the availability and utilization of essential medicines in India.
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Registered trials
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