Access to essential medicines is not only a human right but important to realising the millennium development goals (MDGs). The Federal Government of Nigeria has made several efforts to improve the health of Nigerians by setting up programs to deliver priority health interventions. Despite these efforts, poor availability, high cost and irrational use of essential medicines continue to be the hallmark of the pharmaceutical sector. Efficient provision of essential medicines depends on appropriate management of selection, quantification, financing, procurement, quality assurance and storage, distribution, information management and human resources development.

The objective of this study is to assess the processes in the medicines management cycle within programs, the federal medical stores, the state medical stores and the health facilities. The goal is to examine areas of strengths, weaknesses in order to make adequate recommendations for improving the medicine procurement and management in the country...