The Relationship Between Market Environment Dimensions and Availability of Malaria Pills in Uganda

Abstract

Introduction This study sought to examine the contribution of relationship building (in terms of collaboration, information sharing and supply chain interdependence) on the availability of malaria treatment pills in public hospitals in Sub-Saharan Africa using data from Uganda. Methods By means of a cross-sectional survey research design, the study used a questionnaire strategy to collect quantitative data. Out of the 320 questionnaires that were distributed in 40 public hospitals, 283 were answered and returned, which yielded an 88% response rate. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to establish the relationship between measured variables and latent constructs. Results Drawing on the survey results, the confirmatory factor analysist and the Structural Equation Modelling clearly demonstrate that relationship building (in terms of collaboration, information sharing and supply chain interdependence) significantly influences the availability of Artemisinin-based combination therapies in public general hospitals in Uganda. Conclusion Policy-makers should focus on developing cheaper information technology tools to exchange information regarding stock levels, forecasting, quantification, orders, and dispensing. This study developed a measurement model for an inter-hospital relationship, using relational view theory, and it employs dimensions in terms of information sharing and supply chain interdependence to predict and explain the availability of malaria pills in government hospitals.

Macro environment determinants affecting the availability of artemisinin-based combination therapies in Uganda

“…All the retained variables after CA were subjected to CFA, and IBM® SPSS® Amos (V.21) graphic software was applied in this analysis. For a proposed model to pass CFA and validity analysis, the average variance explained (AVE) and composite reliability (CR) should be ≥ 0.50 and 0.70, respectively (Nagitta et al , 2021). The maximum shared variance (MSV) < average shared variance (ASV) and the square root of AVE should be higher than inter-construct correlations (Hair et al , 2010).…”

“…Cronbach alpha (CA) was used to estimate the internal consistency (IC) and how closely the measuring variables contributed to their respective latent variables. CA values range from 0.0 to 1.0; CA < 0.70 elicits unacceptable consistency; 0.7 ≤ CA ≤ 0.8 elicits acceptable levels, while CA > 0.8 shows good IC (Ajayi and Oyedele, 2018; Nagitta et al , 2021). To improve CA, items with a CA greater than the overall CA were deleted to improve the IC.…”

A structural equation modeling of supply chain strategies for artemisinin-based combination therapies in Uganda

“…CA values range from 0.0 to 1.0; CA > 0.70 elicits unacceptable consistency, 0.7 ⩽ CA ⩽ 0.8 elicits acceptable levels, while CA > 0.8 shows good IC. 5 , 62 To improve CA, items with a CA greater than the overall CA were deleted to ameliorate the IC. Using this approach, one item under the Availability category was deleted; the CA for the group soared from 0.897 to 0.908.…”

“…[1][2][3][4] The coordination dilemma has significant implications on the availability of artemisininbased combination therapies (ACTs) that are used to treat malaria in several countries within sub-Saharan Africa. [5][6][7] Presently, malaria ranks as one of the primary factors for disease and death in low-income countries, 8,9 even though there have been several efforts in the recent past that aimed to cut down the growing burden of malaria disease. While several interventions have focused on preventive (such as the provision of treated mosquito nets) and various therapeutic approaches, malaria has remained one of the oldest and deadliest diseases known to humankind.…”

“… 1 – 4 The coordination dilemma has significant implications on the availability of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) that are used to treat malaria in several countries within sub-Saharan Africa. 5 – 7 …”