Availability of essential medicines in selected public, primary and secondary health care institutions of a rural Sri Lankan district: a spot survey.

Background: Assessment of the availability of essential medicines, in rural areas of countries with free state health care system, is scarce. Dependence on essential medicines among the population in rural sector is considered to be high. Assessing the availability of essential medicines in selected state owned primary and secondary health care institutions of a rural district will help to identify areas where improvement is needed.