Integrating Sustainable Development Goals into Public Health Systems: An Ethiopian Case Study on Medicine Access and Resilience

This study examines the operational integration of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 (good health and wellbeing) and SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure) within Ethiopia’s public pharmaceutical supply chain. It addresses the critical problem of medicine stock-outs, which undermine health system resilience and universal health coverage. Using a mixed-methods case study design, data were collected from 2023 to 2024 via key informant interviews with 25 policymakers and managers, a survey of 150 public health facilities across three regions, and documentary analysis of national logistics policies. The analysis reveals a pronounced gap between high-level strategic alignment with the SDGs in policy documents and fragmented implementation on the ground. Disconnects between procurement, distribution, and financing mechanisms persistently disrupt medicine availability. Quantitatively, facilities employing integrated electronic logistics management systems reported a 40% shorter average stock-out duration than those using manual processes. The study concludes that realising SDG targets requires transcending symbolic policy commitment to achieve tangible, systemic integration of supply chain innovations. For Ethiopia and comparable settings, this underscores that resilient medicine access is foundational to health system performance and demands targeted investment in infrastructure and data-driven governance.