People’s Perceptions Of Access To Medicines’ Determinants During Pandemics: A Survey During Covid-19 In Algeria

Abstract

Studying access to medicines dimensions is crucial in helping policy makers to take suitable measures that ensure equitable access for citizens. The present paper aims to define the determinants that shape Algerian people’s perceptions about access to medicines during Covid-19 pandemic. Data were collected via a questionnaire and Microsoft Excel software was used to code, present and analyze data. The results revealed that 68.75% of participants reported they had access to requested medicines and 31.25% think they had not. Respondents were interested in the type of medicines followed by the time factor, the price, the origin of the drugs, and the location of pharmacies respectively. 50% affirmed that their perceptions are the same during and out of Covid-19 period. The geographic dimension determinants were the most significant. Surprisingly, the financial dimension determinants were not important at all. The result is due to the effect of a third-party payment system.