Factors affecting the access of malaria commodities at Geita District Council in Mainland Tanzania

Abstract

Background: Malaria transmission in Tanzania is highly heterogeneous across its 26 regions, with approximately 1/3 of the population living in areas with parasite prevalence above 10%. The country has made different steps to improve health supply chain management systems and investing in initiatives to increase malaria intervention uptake. However, malaria commodity availability countrywide ranges from 51.8% to 92.3%. In Geita region, several healthcare providers noted challenges regarding malaria commodity availability and low uptake of some preventive interventions. This brings us to dig more into the needed investments in the areas that are likely to affect the access to malaria commodities

Objective: To determine factors affecting the access to malaria commodities in Geita District Council in mainland Tanzania

Methods: A cross-sectional survey with purposive sampling technique was conducted in 58 health facilities for quantitative data and in 14 health facilities for qualitative data through 49 key informants in Geita District Council. Data collection took place from February 20th to March 3 rd , 2023, and involved interviews using a structured questionnaire, informant guide and checklist with informed consent from all participants. The quantitative data were analyzed using STATA, version 15.1. Pearson Chi-square tests, Fisher’s exact test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test were done to identify association between the dependent and independent variables at a 0.05 significance level. The qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis in a deductive approach

Results: Availability of any malaria commodities at health facilities on the day of the visit ranged from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 45,255 tests for malaria rapid diagnostic tests. In the review period, the stock out of malaria commodities in the visited health facilities ranged from a minimum of 7 days to a maximum of 360 days. The study revealed a statistically significant difference in the average availability of every malaria commodity in public health facilities compared to private health facilities

Conclusion: The study revealed that socio-demographic, availability, accessibility, acceptability and affordability factors contribute to the population’s access to malaria commodities. Therefore, while efforts to strengthen supply chain performance are recommended, there is also a need to have tailored exploration targeting different social and policy aspects that affect the access to malaria commodities, especially in high-burden areas to reduce morbidity and mortality and achieve the strategic targets.