The Ministry of Health has prepared and distributed Standard Treatment Guidelines (STGs) for six disease conditions, namely, Tuberculosis/Leprosy, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Malaria, Acute Respiratory Tract Infection (ARTI), diarroheal diseases, and opportunistic infections related to HIV/AIDS. Out of these, availability of treatment guidelines for Malaria (adults), Tuberculosis (adults) and Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) was selected as criteria of assessment due to report of their wider distribution. Moreover, availability of regional and facility EDL was also taken as additional criteria of assessment. A facility would be considered to have STGs and EDLs if any of the STGs or EDLs mentioned above was physically available.
The survey revealed that only nearly 39% of the 108 health facilities surveyed had one or more of the STGs. It shows that majority of the health personnel are working without any standard guideline giving a way to irrational drug use.
When considered by level of health facilities (Figure 19), 67% of the hospitals (n=6), 50% of the health centres (n=18) and 35% of the health stations (n=84) had at least one of the STGs showing significant percentage variation (P<0.05).
Figure 19 Availablity of Standard Treatment Gidelines by level of PHCFs
The percentage availability of STGs varied in the five regions (Figure 20) between 3% (Oromia) to 75% (Tigray) reflecting very significant percentage variation (P<0.05).
Figure 20 Availability Standard Treatment Guidelines in PHCFs in five regions
On the other had, it was learnt that only one health facilities had facility EDL out of the 108 facilities surveyed and this would have a negative impact on the selection of essential drugs in the health facilities.
