BHB is well on track in the pre-assessment of medicine shops for the 2023-2024 round of accreditation

BHB is continuing its work with DGDA in a fresh round of accreditation of retail medicine shops in 2023-2024, with a target of 3,500 shops. The first step is the pre-assessment of retail medicine shops in different districts of Bangladesh. BHB’s dedicated field staff, recruited for this purpose, randomly visit the medicine shops to collect data. They check whether the medicine shops meet at least three basic criteria, viz., the drug shop has a valid, unexpired drug license issued by the DGDA; has a medicine dispenser with a valid, unexpired registration certificate issued by PCB; and has a minimum of 120 square feet of floor space. If the shop meets the criteria, the field staff uses an online tool to collect additional data. The shops’ registered medicine dispensers (grade C pharmacy technicians) that fulfil the criteria are then trained on Good Pharmacy Practice, the government’s standards for operating medicine shops, AMR, and measures to take in pandemics such as COVID-19, etc. Following the training is a window period during which the BHB field staff help the medicine shops make the changes needed to become eligible for accreditation. Finally, a district DGDA official inspects the medicine shops to verify whether they comply with the government’s standards for operating a drug shop. If satisfied the official recommends that the DGDA headquarters (HQ) designates the shops as model medicine shops or model pharmacies. To meet the 2023-2024 target of 3,500, BHB will conduct pre-assessments in about 3,000 retail medicine shops; the rest will comprise shops that were previously pre-assessed, but not accredited. From February 2023 through April 2023, BHB pre-assessed 1,835 retail medicine shops, which is well on track, and it is expected that by the end of June 2023, BHB will achieve the pre-assessment target.