Data for Understanding Perception of Implementers on Prime Vendor System in Tanzania Mainland.doc

Access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines for all is a central component of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). However, the availability of quality medicines in low and middle-income countries is often limited, especially in peripheral health facilities. MSD, as the sole supplier of drugs and medical supplies to all public health facilities, has been facing difficulties that hinder its efficiency in supplying 100% of all facility’s needs (HRSC-2017). Despite significant reforms, including introducing the Prime Vendor System in 2018, challenges persist, leading to regional disparities in commodity availability at the facility level. Successfully establishing an intervention based on PPPs within the public sector in the health commodities supply chain system mostly requires high acceptability by the Government, implementers, and the beneficiaries of the intervention (Kumurya, 2015), (Kuwawenaruwa et al., 2020) and (Wiedenmayer et al., 2019). Furthermore, the effectiveness of any activity is primarily influenced by the participants' attitudes. While most studies have extensively researched the effectiveness of the prime vendor system in bridging the supply chain gap, none have researched implementers' perceptions of the prime vendor system in complementing health commodities. This study seeks to understand the Implementer's perceptions of the prime vendor system implementation