Access to health care for women in rural communities remains a critical issue worldwide, particularly in the least developed countries. While more clinics have been established, these alone are insufficient to meet all health care needs due to significant supply chain challenges.
Recent research in rural Senegal, a country with high levels of contraceptive stock-outs, compared two distribution models for health commodities. The common “pull distribution” model, which requires health facilities to manage inventory and collect supplies from warehouses, was contrasted with the “informed push distribution” model, where external logistics providers handle inventory management and delivery.
The study found that the informed push model significantly reduces contraceptive stock-outs by 30% at severely disadvantaged health facilities, particularly in remote areas with poor inventory management capabilities. This model also offers substantial public health benefits, including reduced workloads for health workers, higher patient satisfaction, increased contraceptive use, and fewer unintended pregnancies and maternal and newborn deaths.
Economically, the informed push model is both effective and cost-efficient for disadvantaged facilities. These findings highlight the broader implications for improving health care access in rural areas, especially in light of recent rural hospital closures and the potential of telehealth and mobile clinics as alternative solutions.
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