The high cost of laboratory reagents and accumulated indebtedness are the primary causes of shortages and stock-outs. The lack of availability of these products limits timely diagnosis and treatment in public health facilities. Public resources available for reagent procurement could be optimized through the use of centralized purchasing by virtue of the economies of scale it would create. This report presents the results of a study conducted in the Dominican Republic to determine the availability and consumption of laboratory reagents for the purpose of a joint national purchase among government agencies.
