Inventory Management: a Case Study of Shortages of Drugs at Kenyatta National Hospital

Abstract

Kenyatta National Hospital (K.N.H.) is one of the biggest hospital complexes in black Africa serving well over 1.2 million patients per year. These patients come from within and outside Kenya. In essenC8 the institution spends large amounts of funds on equipment and drugs. With its scope, it therefore needs an adequate and steady supply of these items to enable it cope with the large !lumber of patients. Despite the huge amount of funds spent on the purchases of drugs and medicines, the hospital has .experienced shortages for .now a long time. These problems are due to internal external factors. Among the problems .is the poor management of drug inventories. In this project an attempt is made .to look 5nto the root causes of the drug management problem and thereafter to suggest ways and means of'csolving the problem.