Pharmacy Department is responsible for providing optimal Pharmaceutical care to patients availing services from both in-patient as well as outpatient pharmacy.
Our department is involved in ensuring that the medicines patients receive are safe and efficacious as per their clinical needs.
At the current scenario there are 3 Pharmacists and 14 pharmacy technicians who manage the diverse works to the best of their capabilities.
MISSION
To ensure safe and effective use of medications, optimising patient outcomes through accurate dispensing, medication management, education and collaboration with healthcare providers.
VISION
The department will provide optimal patient care and improve patient outcomes adhering with rational use of medicines and good pharmacy practice.
An Overview of Pharmacy Services
Out-Patient Pharmacy services
Medical Store
1.Pharmaceutical care and intervention for out-patients: Dispensing remains the core function of the out-patient pharmacy services, efforts have been on to provide a comprehensive pharmaceutical care. With the introduction of Electronic Patient Information System (e-PIS), Pharmaceutical care intervention has become more proficient adding a quick and necessary intervention through the system.
2. Named-Patient medicines services: It involves the process of procuring the medicines which are not available on Essential Medicines List (NEML).
To cater the special needs of the vital medicines for those needy patients, two pharmacy technicians have been placed to work specifically in the procurement and mobilization services along with specialists.
3. Pharmaceutical Compounding: For dosing conveniences, Extemporaneous Preparation is being practiced by the staff on scheduled duty at Compounding room.
In-Patient Pharmacy Services
1. Topping up Services: Daily refilling of medicines has been introduced to optimise medicine utilisation in the wards
2. Dialysis Solution Preparation: The staff in the In-Patient Department is also involved in preparation of Dialysis Solution Part-B on a daily basis.
3. Medication Reconciliation: To promote patient safety, medication reconciliation along with pharmaceutical care intervention and drug chart review is being practised to promote minimum medication errors and drug misadventure in patients on anticoagulant and hypoglycemic drugs.
Medical Store
1.To ensure availability of medicines, the Pharmacy Department oversees stock management of medicines and non-drugs through routine stock monitoring.
2. With the introduction of e-BMSIS Over the period of last six years annual indentation, mobilisation and issuing of drug and non -drug has become more user friendly to all end users.
3.The quality of pharmaceutical supplies is also being monitored and reported to relevant agencies for the timely product recall.
Other services
Pharmacovigilance
The department is mandated to carry out surveillance of adverse drug reaction (ADR) in the hospital.ADRs are collected, assessed and sent to Uppsala Monitoring centre in Sweden through an online system called VigiFlow by pharmacovigilance focal .
Pharmacy Education
Continued Medical Education is being carried out for staff on a voluntary basis either by a pharmacist or an interested technician .
Drug Information
The pharmacists and technicians endeavour to provide support for the physicians, nurses and other health care professionals in matters regarding medications, and serve as a resource of drug information to those who prescribe, administer and consume medicines. The department also updates weekly status of the availability of the medicines and non drugs in the health care facility.
Challenges and way forward
ERRH being the only regional hospital for seven eastern dzongkhag there has been growing number of patients availing the services from the Hospital.Increased in patient load and addition of specialist in the centre have led to to increase in quantity of drugs and non -drugs including equipment, the
current available space for delivering the services is quite over crowded for storing the medicines and staffs working and delivering the services hindering the quality of services that are provided.Difficulty in providing uninterrupted supplies of medicines and non-drugs also adds up to the challenges.
While challenges are many, the Department aims to ensure safe and effective medicines by providing comprehensive pharmaceutical care intervention ,it is still in the budding stage of patient centred care in indoor units .
With the support of our far sighted administration we are yet to expect a spacious pharmacy in the years to come which will smoothen the service quality.