Factors Associated with the High Expiry Rate of Pharmaceutical Products within the Supply Chain in the Ministry of Health: A Case Study of Choma District of Southern Province

Access to important drugs remains a major concern in many health-care systems, especially in developing countries. This study looked into the factors that contribute to high pharmaceutical expiry rates within the Ministry of Health’s supply chain in Choma District, Southern Province, Zambia. A cross-sectional quantitative approach based on Inventory Control Theory, Rational Choice Theory, and Resource-Based Theory was utilised to investigate operational, workforce, and donor-related factors impacting medicine wastage. Data were collected from 23 healthcare personnel at various sites. The results showed that 78.3% of all medicines in stock had expired, with critical medicines at 56.5%, donated drugs at 65.2%, and family planning items at 8.7%. Although 73.9% of respondents had more than two years of experience and 82.6% were involved in medicine management decisions, there was no significant link between these factors and expiry rates. Furthermore, 82.6% of respondents assessed their inventory knowledge as “very good†or “excellent,†although significant expiry rates remained. System-level variables surfaced as critical: 56.5% of institutions received donor stock that was close to expiration, 65.2% reported poor donor coordination, and only 17.4% employed real-time inventory management systems—despite the fact that 88.9% of those without such tools reported expired stock. While 91.3% claimed to have adequate storage infrastructure, qualitative feedback revealed that 8.7% of facilities stored medicines in non-compliant areas such as office spaces. According to the study, medicine expiration is primarily caused by supply chain inefficiencies, logistical misalignments, insufficient cold-chain infrastructure, and lax enforcement of procurement and storage protocols. Individual worker characteristics had a minimal impact. To reduce waste and increase pharmaceutical sustainability, the report suggests implementing automated inventory systems, strengthening donor coordinating frameworks, improving facility infrastructure, and enforcing standard operating procedures throughout Zambia’s public health sector.