Antibiotic shortages among public sector hospitals across Sub-Saharan Africa : findings and implications from a pilot study

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Munzhedzi, Mukhethwa and Meyer, Johanna and Chigome, Audrey and Miljković, Nenad and Moore, Catrin E. and Kumar, Gauri and Kurdi, Amanj and Campbell, Stephen M. and Godman, Brian (2026) Antibiotic shortages among public sector hospitals across Sub-Saharan Africa : findings and implications from a pilot study. Advances in Human Biology. ISSN 2321-8568 (In Press)

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Abstract

Background: Antibiotic shortages in public hospitals across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have emerged as a critical public health challenge. Data on antibiotic shortages are well documented in Europe but remain limited in SSA. This pilot study forms part of a larger project aiming to evaluate the scope, causes, and potential mitigation strategies, to address antibiotic shortages among public-sector hospitals across SSA. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional survey among public hospital healthcare professionals across SSA. Descriptive statistics were calculated using Jamovi. Results: Fifteen participants from 3 SSA countries completed the survey. Shortages occurred 1–3 times in 2024 for 80% (12/15) of participants, lasting mostly less than two weeks. Shortages included amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, cefotaxime, piperacillin/tazobactam, linezolid, and colistin, covering Access, Watch, and Reserve groups. Main causes for shortages were increasing demand (53.8%; 7/15), financial constraints (38.5%; 5/15), and supply-chain problems (38.5%; 5/5). Two-thirds of hospitals had essential antibiotic lists, 53.3% (8/15) used electronic inventory systems, and 66.7% (10/15) had therapeutic substitution policies. Two-thirds of respondents reported negative impacts of shortages on patient care (66.7%; 10/15). Pilot testing identified issues with skip logic and question complexity, which are being addressed in the main study to improve clarity and consistency. As a result, enhancing the robustness of future suggestions to alleviate future antibiotic shortages among public hospitals and the implications across SSA. Conclusion: Findings demonstrate the feasibility of the survey approach and highlighted recurrent shortages of essential antibiotics and their impact. A much larger multi-country survey is now being conducted across SSA to inform future strategies.

ORCID iDs

Munzhedzi, Mukhethwa, Meyer, Johanna, Chigome, Audrey, Miljković, Nenad, Moore, Catrin E., Kumar, Gauri, Kurdi, Amanj ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5036-1988, Campbell, Stephen M. and Godman, Brian;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)