Overview
Setting up office and stores
The project base may be located in a primary health centre or health post. Usually it will be in a separate building serving a wider area, but within the project area. Generally the base should be separate from any hospital to help retain some independence. Nothing big or expensive is needed; the simpler this is kept the better. Often three or four rooms will be enough to start with, for example, one for the offce, one for meeting and training and one for storing and sterilising equipment.
The storeroom can be used for keeping both drugs and equipment. Make sure that this is:
• secure so that people cannot break in,
• dry even during the rainy season,
• large enough and well enough lit for convenience,
• accessible by vehicle for easy loading and
• rat-proof and bat-proof, and screened against mosquitoes.
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Excerpt from setting up community Health programmes by Ted Lankester
Important jobs for health clinic dispeners
1. Checking levels.
The dispenser will need to:
Check all drugs: For quantity remaining, at least once monthly.
For expiry dates at least once quarterly.
Use a stock list made out alphabetically, so that the check can be systematic.
2. Re-ordering supplies.
The dispenser will need to use a re-order sheet. Various examples can be used, see Setting up Community Health Programmes.
3. Labelling supplies.
Drug names are confusing. Each drug may have several different brand names but only one generic name. The generic name should therefore always be used, even though it may be longer, harder to remember and can have minor variations in spelling. Avoid using abbreviations.
The storekeeper in central supplies should always send out supplies with labels attached.
Where supplies are sent out in bottles labelled by drug companies a bold ring or circle can be made around the generic name instead of sticking a new label on to each bottle.
When semi-literate CHWs help in counting out tablets, colour codes can be used e.g. green labels for antibiotics, orange for anti-malarials, etc. The dispenser must check the CHWs work for any mistakes.
4. Storing supplies in the clinic cupboard.
Supplies should be arranged neatly, in alphabetical generic order with the newest supplies at the back of the shelf. The front of the shelf itself can be labelled either with the drug name or with a letter of the alphabet.
In practice it is easy for new supplies to be put at the front and for old supplies to get pushed to the back and expire. Huge amounts of drugs can be wasted in this way. Supplies also need to be stored at the right temperature, which in practice means avoiding buildings or rooms in full sun and having a good means of ventilation even when the building is closed.
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