Evaluating Procurement Management Practices During COVID 19 Pandemic at The Ghanaian Public Hospitals

Abstract

This study evaluates the components of Procurement Management Practices (PMPs) that exist at the public hospitals in Ghana. These components include people; processes; and records. Its goal was to investigate the extent to which people, process and record as an aspect of procurement management practices were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. A case study approach was used in this study to better understand PMPs in public hospitals. The Weija-Gbawe Municipal Hospital (WGMH) was used as the case for this study. The study's target population was members of the Ghanaian public hospital personnel. The participants in the study were chosen using a technique known as purposive sampling. An interview guide with open-ended questions was used to collect data as well as field notes. A thematic content analysis approach was used to analyze the collected data. According to the findings, people; processes; and records are the components of PMPs that exist at the Ghanaian public hospitals. This study referred to individuals involved in procurement activities as People in the PMPs, the processes are the actions undertaken at each stage of the procurement activities, while the records are the various documents about the pre-tendering, tendering, and contracts involved in the PMPs. The findings provide contributions to the field of public procurement. The study emphasizes the importance of the components of the PMPs at the Ghanaian public hospital. The issues identified in this study can be used in other contexts to help develop policies to help mitigate the impacts brought by the COVID-19 pandemic in their procurement activities.