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INTRODUCTION: Access to medication is a major public health issue worldwide and can be considered as an indicator of the quality of public health services in a country.

AIM: To evaluate patient satisfaction with the services provided by the external pharmacy in the drug distribution circuit in public healthcare facilities in Tunisia.

METHODS: To achieve this goal, a satisfaction survey was conducted on a sample of 200 patients at the external pharmacies of two university hospitals in Tunis, namely the La Rabta University Hospital and the Charles Nicolle University Hospital.

RESULTS: This survey revealed that despite the efforts made by the state and the importance of the drug market in Tunisia, 80% of patients reported difficulties in finding their medication in the healthcare facilities where they consult, and more than 60% are forced to obtain them from private pharmacies. The survey also highlighted a contrast between the quality of services provided by the external hospital pharmacy and those of private pharmacies. Indeed, only 25% of the surveyed patients were satisfied with the services provided by the external pharmacy. Although this satisfaction was conditioned by several factors, the main concern of the patients remained the availability of medication. In fact, with little difference in terms of care, 80.5% of the participants favored the idea of transferring the services provided by the external pharmacy to private pharmacies.

CONCLUSION: In summary, this study has highlighted the need to rethink the drug supply and distribution system and to explore alternative approaches to significantly improve access to medication and the quality of services provided by external pharmacies in Tunisian public hospitals.