In July 2021, BHB completed pre-assessing 10,697 private drug shops, which exceeded its 2021 target of 10,000. The pre-assessment is the first step of the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) drug shop accreditation program that BHB supports. The accreditation process has six steps as shown below:
Six steps of accreditation of private drug shops
- Pre-assess private drug shops using BHB field inspectors to determine if drug shops meet the minimum criteria of having a valid drug shop license and registered pharmacist or pharmacy technician and at least 120 square feet of floor space.
- Train the dispensers from shops found eligible during the pre-assessment.
- Improve the drug shop environment and the drug dispensers’ practices based on a standard set of criteria within a set period.
- Conduct post-assessment of the drug shops using BHB field inspectors to determine if drug shops now meet the standard set of criteria.
- Joint DGDA and BHB teams conduct inspection visits to the eligible drug shops.
- Issue accreditation.
BHB trains dispensers who have been selected based on the pre-assessment findings. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BHB successfully shifted the training to an online platform. As of October 31, 2021, 1,560 participants had completed their training, and their next step is to bring their shops and dispensing practices in line with the accreditation standards.
