An assessment of knowledge on the public procurement process among health sector officials in Matale district, Sri Lanka

<strong>Introduction:</strong> Health sector utilizes a significant portion of public funds to acquire infrastructure, drugs, consumables, and services. Therefore, to achieve the best value for money the officials should possess a thorough knowledge of procurement procedures. <strong>Objective:</strong> To assess the knowledge on the public procurement process among the officials involved in procurement activities in the health sector of Matale district. <strong>Methodology:</strong> A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the office of the Regional Directorate of Health Services, the District General Hospital Matale, and the Base Hospital Dambulla in Matale district during the year 2021. All officials involved in public procurement were included. A self-administered structured questionnaire consisting of 50 knowledgeassessing questions in eight domains was consensually validated through a modified Delphi technique and utilized after pretesting. <strong>Results:</strong> Out of 29 officials, 22 (75.9%) responded. The majority (41%) were technical evaluation committee members. The overall knowledge score was 66 percent (95% CI 62.6-69.5: Range 48%-83%). It was an “aboveaverage” level. The highest score was obtained for the knowledge domain of evaluating bids (Mean=82%). The lowest score was obtained for procurement objectives and ethics (Mean=45%). Officials at Dambulla Hospital (Mean=70.2%) and males (Mean=70.3%) scored high scores. Opinions on knowledge-sharing culture (F=5.053, p=0.017) and experience-sharing culture (F=4.146, p=0.032) were statistically associated with knowledge scores at a 95% confidence level. <strong>Conclusion and Recommendation:</strong> Knowledge among the officials on the procurement process was above average. Factors related to less knowledge among females and less knowledge on procurement objectives and ethics should be investigated and corrected. The involvement of top management to strengthen knowledge and experience-sharing culture is recommended as those domains are significantly associated with the acquisition of knowledge in the procurement process.

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