Challenges of public sector change management: The case of medicine provision in public hospitals in Punjab

Abstract

This case examines key change management challenges faced by public managers by discussing multiple policy and procedural changes introduced in the Primary & Secondary Healthcare (P&SH) Department, Punjab, Pakistan to improve its medicine procurement process. Under immense political pressure to introduce quick, visible and effective changes in the quality of medicine available in government facilities, the P&SH department initiated multiple change initiatives to improve its medicine procurement process. While this resulted in availability of top rated brand medicine in government hospitals, the annual cost of procurement increased by more than 75% prompting criticism from some quarters. There was also limited endorsement of this initiative by the frontline staff of the P&SHD limiting its popularity in the public. The administrative head of the P&SHD was, therefore, faced with a dilemma; whether to continue with the new procurement model or revert to the old one.