Supply Chain Vulnerabilities and Impact of Automated Inventory Control in Primary Healthcare Services: A 12-Month Evaluation

Abstract

Background:
An uninterrupted supply of essential medicines and medical consumables is vital for the effective operation of primary healthcare facilities.
Objectives: To analyze logistics efficiency, evaluate stock-out frequency for essential medicines, and assess supply chain management performance across primary healthcare centers.
Materials and methods: We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of supply chain operations across 35 primary healthcare centers over a 12-month period. Demand forecasting accuracy, order lead time, stock-out frequency, and storage conditions were analyzed.
Results: At least one essential medicine stock-out episode was recorded in 68.6% (n = 24) of primary healthcare centers during the 12-month evaluation period, with a mean stock-out duration of 14.2 ± 4.8 days. Primary drivers of stock-outs included inaccurate local inventory tracking (42.8%), transit delays from central distribution warehouses (31.4%), and demand forecasting errors (25.8%). Implementation of an automated digital inventory control system reduced stock-out frequency by 54% (p = 0.002).
Conclusions: Inaccurate local inventory management and distribution delays are key barriers to primary healthcare supply chains; adoption of digital inventory systems provides an effective solution to minimize stock-out rates.

Keywords: Primary healthcare; supply chain management; medical logistics; stock-out; inventory control.