Assessment of Donated Medications and their Use in Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital: Promoting Green Health and Circular Economy

IntroductionDespite the increased access to medicine, developing countries receive large amounts of medicines from donations. Donated medication could save lives and alleviate suffering but they could also cause deleterious effects on recipients. These effects can lead to the disposal of harmful drugs, affecting health infrastructure and causing negative. Organizations donate drugs for various reasons, including charitable, publicity, or humanitarian reasons. Despite the need for donated drugs, drug dumping remains a prevalent issue in Sub-Saharan Africa. The volume of pharmaceutical waste that accumulates worldwide is now a major concern. The idea of a sustainable, circular bioeconomy on a global scale is appealing. It prioritizes environmental sustainability and human well-being atop economic recovery. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the status of donated medicines in Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH) and develop suggestions. Medicines donated from April 2022 up to May 2022 were included in this study Materials and MethodsA cross-sectional survey conducted at an institutional level employed both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. The study was conducted from April 2022 to May 2022, focusing on pharmaceuticals donated to Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH) between November 2021 and March 2022. For the qualitative part, employees of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH) working at different dispensary units, and pharmaceutical stores constituted the source population. Results and recommendationsA total of six donors contributed a combined value of 11,715,389 Ethiopian birr worth of medicines, supplies, and equipment. The donated items comprised 45 product categories and a total of 160 individual products. Among these, the most prevalent product categories included Opioids (27.48%), ASRVI (10.22%), PDE-5 Inhibitors (7.70%), Antihemophilic agents (7.34%), Antibiotics (7.02%), Anticonvulsants (5.67%), and Antifungals (3.36%). Management of medicines, supplies, and equipment at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH) is facilitated through the Pharmaceutical Management Information System (PMIS), similar to other medication management processes. The acquisition of donated medications primarily occurs through both recipient requests and donor initiatives. Delivery of drugs near expiry, too small amount, discontinuation, disposal cost and push pull scenario were among the problems. Simple effective communication among donors and the hospital can uplift these problems and enhance the positive impacts of donations. Furthermore, the hospital needs to update its policy on donation and schedule donations to optimize the effects of donations; as a result promoting sustainability.