Table 2.
Availability of complete essential equipment and medications for acute presentations of NCDIs at public first-referral level hospitals in eight low-income countries
| Percent of facilities with available medications and equipment, % (95% CI) | ||||||||
| Bangladesh (n=140) | The Democratic Republic of the Congo* (n=283) | Ethiopia (n=117) | Haiti (n=25) | Malawi (n=43) | Nepal (n=76) | Senegal† (n=37) | Tanzania (n=76) | |
| Acute asthma | 0 (0, 3) | 1 (1, 2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Functional X-ray machine | 24 (17, 31) | 31 (29, 33) | 64 | 52 | 51 | 86 | 78 | 70 |
| Hydrocortisone injection | 47 (39, 54) | 82 (81, 84) | 68 | 52 | 26 | 78 | 67 | 80 |
| Micronebuliser in NCD or general outpatient area | 59 (52, 67) | 6 (5, 7) | 6 | 20 | 21 | 37 | 54 | 4 |
| Oxygen availability (cylinder or concentrator, plus distribution) in NCD or general outpatient area | 54 (47, 62) | 10 (9, 11) | 14 | 28 | 12 | 12 | 46 | 4 |
| Peak flow metre in NCD or general outpatient area | 25 (19, 33) | 3 (2, 4) | 8 | 16 | 5 | 30 | 33 | 7 |
| Prednisolone | 20 (14, 27) | 50 (47, 53) | 89 | 52 | 77 | 50 | 0 | 76 |
| Pulse oximeter in NCD or general outpatient area | 29 (22, 36) | 11 (9, 13) | 14 | 8 | 21 | 30 | 52 | 11 |
| Salbutamol inhaler | 19 (14, 26) | 38 (35, 41) | 82 | 48 | 58 | 91 | 48 | 33 |
| Acute diabetes | 0 (0, 3) | 6 (5, 7) | 5 | 4 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Blood glucose test equipment | 27 (21, 34) | 77 (75, 79) | 85 | 40 | 56 | 20 | 9 | 63 |
| Blood pressure apparatus in NCD or general outpatient area | 99 (93, 100) | 98 (98, 99) | 95 | 96 | 79 | 97 | 87 | 84 |
| Infusion kit for intravenous fluids in NCD or general outpatient area | 57 (49, 64) | 45 (43, 48) | 34 | 32 | 81 | 38 | 8 | 70 |
| Injectable glucose | 11 (7, 18) | 70 (67, 73) | 24 | 40 | 98 | 92 | 91 | 62 |
| Injectable saline solution | 72 (64, 78) | 69 (67, 72) | 96 | 52 | 91 | 95 | 82 | 92 |
| Insulin | 1 (0, 4) | 48 (46, 51) | 79 | 12 | 58 | 12 | 51 | 89 |
| Liver and kidney function diagnostics (creatinine, electrolytes) | 11 (7, 17) | 24 (22, 26) | 47 | 60 | 40 | 38 | 93 | 74 |
| Acute epilepsy | 49 (42, 57) | 81 (78, 82) | 91 | 40 | 95 | 72 | 85 | 91 |
| Diazepam injection | 49 (42, 57) | 81 (78, 82) | 91 | 40 | 95 | 72 | 85 | 91 |
| Injuries/acute minor surgical conditions‡ | NA | 2 (2, 3) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Ketamine in minor surgical area | NA | 76 (74, 78) | 61 | 20 | 37 | 24 | 3 | 49 |
| Lidocaine in minor surgical area | NA | 80 (77, 83) | 97 | 92 | 95 | 93 | 82 | 99 |
| Nasogastric tubes in minor surgical area | NA | 43 (41, 46) | 66 | 40 | 14 | 41 | 23 | 30 |
| Needle holder in minor surgical area | NA | 98 | 97 | 92 | 100 | 97 | 97 | 95 |
| Oxygen availability (cylinder or concentrator, plus distribution) in NCD or general outpatient area | 54 (47, 62) | 10 (9, 11) | 14 | 28 | 12 | 12 | 46 | 4 |
| Retractor in minor surgical area | NA | 85 (84, 86) | 84 | 40 | 44 | 49 | 24 | 41 |
| Scalpel in minor surgical area | NA | 86 (83, 88) | 92 | 40 | 74 | 86 | 73 | 78 |
| Skin disinfectant in minor surgical area | NA | 97 (96, 97) | 99 | 88 | 84 | 95 | 97 | 92 |
| Surgical scissors in minor surgical area | NA | 99 (99, 99) | 97 | 96 | 88 | 95 | 98 | 91 |
| Sutures in minor surgical area | NA | 85 (83, 87) | 93 | 68 | 93 | 78 | 55 | 92 |
| Tourniquet in minor surgical area | NA | 25 (23, 27) | 54 | 68 | 26 | 67 | 94 | 34 |
Numbers reported % (95% CI). Uncertainty not reported for surveys that were intended to include complete census of facilities (all except Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
*Democratic Republic of the Congo estimates are reported for non-tertiary, non-provincial-level public hospitals.
†Senegal data did not allow for separation of first-referral and higher level hospitals, results reported here for all public hospitals.
‡Most surgical equipment items are missing data in 5%–10% of facilities in Haiti, Malawi and Senegal. Percentages reported in this table exclude facilities with missing data for a given indicator. Overall percentage of surgical medications and equipment availability unaffected by these missing data, as oxygen unavailable in these missing cases, making overall surgical set unavailable.
NA, No data available or >10% missing data; NCDI, non-communicable diseases and injury.