[Essential drugs: availability and prescription in Monastir (Tunisia) health district].

Shortages in the availability of some drugs are sometimes noted in primary health care (PHC) centres in spite of the steady increase in the drug budgets in Tunisia. We conducted a survey therefore in 1998 in the health district of Monastir to study the availability of certain essential drugs (n = 15) in PHC centres and the main features of the drug prescription. We found that the drugs lacking were generally those prescribed for chronic diseases and as well as oral antibiotics. Antibiotic treatment constituted 71.8% of public prescriptions and 32.3% of these prescriptions were for an injectable treatment.