BHB, with support from the British Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), is assisting the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) in developing a national guideline to sustain the program to accredit model pharmacies and model medicine shops without external assistance. A committee headed by Md. Eyahya, Director of DGDA, finalized the draft on 12 February 2024. The guideline will equip DGDA officials with the information and tools to effectively navigate the accreditation process for retail medicine shops. Moreover, the guideline will aid medicine shop owners and hospital pharmacies to prepare for accreditation and promote compliance with Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) standards.
The guideline addresses the following issues:
- Current scenario of the retail pharmacy sector in Bangladesh and its prospect for potential improvement
- Medicine shop pre-assessment process
- GPP training process for model pharmacies and model medicine shops
- Medicine shop post-assessment process
- Making visits to inspect a medicine shop ready for accreditation
- Accreditation-visit checklists
- Final accreditation
- Accreditation validity period
BHB prepared the initial guideline draft, then, the Director General of the Drug Administration, Major General Dr Mohammad Yusuf, established an Accreditation Guideline Review and Finalization Committee headed by Md. Eyahya, Director of DGDA. The committee held four meetings between 15 November 2024 and 22 January 2024 to discuss and finalize the draft after incorporating feedback. The guideline is expected to be released in April 2024.
