The upgraded version of the Pharmacy Management Software (PMS), which BHB developed for retail medicine shop inventory management, is now available. The software simplifies the complexities of managing a retail medicine shop in Bangladesh by enabling proactivity in decision-making through effective data monitoring and communication. Offered free of cost, the key features of the PMS are as follows:
- User-Friendly interface: Designed for ease of use across desktop, web, and Android platforms.
- Medicines sales tracking: Efficiently tracks sales volume of both prescription and non-prescription drugs.
- AWaRe classification of antibiotics: Analyzes antibiotic sales data according to the World Health Organization’s AWaRe (Access, Watch, Reserve) classification framework, aiding the medicine shops to monitor the volume of antibiotic sales by type.
- Flagging expired medicines: Automatically flags expired medicines to ensure timely and proper disposal.
- Stock management: Supports routine tasks such as procurement, inventory management, and profit-loss calculations on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis.
- Continuous improvement: Regular software updates and bug fixing based on user feedback to satisfy user needs and satisfaction.
- Comprehensive reporting: Reporting dashboards show data in aggregation and disaggregation for better decision-making.
- User support: Extensive user module-based manuals, tutorial videos, and a dedicated support team to provide guidance and troubleshooting assistance. User-targeted customized training sessions help users exploit the maximum out of the software.
Adoption and engagement
Before November 2023, during the time of the previous version of PMS, the number of active users was 648. From this time until the end of June 2024, the number of active users increased to 1,092. Among the active users, 61.70% use the Android app, and 38.30% use the web version.
The BHB project’s Pharmacy Management Software marks a significant advancement in streamlining retail pharmaceutical operations in Bangladesh. By providing retail medicine shop owners with robust tools for inventory management and sales tracking, and regulatory compliance, the PMS contributes to better health outcomes for consumers through the availability of safer medicines.
