Cardiac Output, Venous Return, and Their Regulation
Drug Revolving Fund
1. DRUG REVOLVING FUND (DRF)
TAHIR, ALBASHIR (BSc. Pharm.)
albashirtahir@gmail.com
+2348068440615
APRIL, 2023.
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2. • DRF is a system whereby the revenue generated from the sale of drugs
to patient is used to purchase new drugs and ensure availability,
effective and efficient system
• It is a special fund set aside to ensure the steady availability of essential
drugs in the health unit by recovering the cost of drugs, ploughing it
back for the purchase of more drugs for continuity of the system
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3. Steps for Setting up A DRF
• Sensitize the development committees on the need for DRF
• Make a list of the required essential drugs in the facility
• Advice the committee to appoint the staffs and treasurer for DRF
• Calculate the amount of drugs needed for about 3-6 months according to level
• Cost the drugs according to the LGA central medical store price
• Raise the initial capital (seed capital) through contribution, donation, etc.
• Order the seed stock
• Explain to the DRF staff and community what cost recovery means
• Open a ledger with a page for each drug
• Advice on a DRF account and signatories to the account
• Obtain and review monthly statement of the account
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4. Advantages of DRF
• It is self-accounting
• Encourages community involvement and participation
• Promotes accountability in drug management
• Encourages rational use of drugs
• The community value their drug unlike when it is free of charge
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5. Reasons Why DRF Fail
• Poor management
• Under budgeting (low seed capital)
• Purchasing of drugs at exorbitant prices
• Ineffective cost recovery (selling prices below replacement cost)
• Delays in cash flow for subsequent purchase
• Rapid program expansion for which additional capital funds are not available
• Loss through pilfering, deterioration or expiring
• Price increase, i.e. unexpected inflation
• Lack of business orientation of DRF
• Diversion of drug money into other ventures
• Difficulty in raising initial capital
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7. • According to a research released by the World Health
Organization (WHO) in November 2017, an estimated 1 in 10
medical products circulating in low and middle-income countries,
are either falsified or substandard
• The bogus-drug trade is not only a nation’s problem but a danger
to the whole of mankind
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8. Risks Related to Fake/Substandard Medicines
The risks related to fake medicines can cause several health consequences as;
• Treatment failure
• Prolonged sickness
• It may contain toxic ingredients
• Increased healthcare cost
• Drug tolerance/resistance
• The quantity of the active ingredients in fake medicines may not be accurate
• It may contain totally different active ingredients that may cause serious side effects
• Increased risk of mortality
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9. How to Identify Fake Medicines
• Detecting substandard drugs is not an easy task. Some are entirely fake
while some are potentially dead (does not produce a desired result or
ineffective)
• Consumers do not have testing equipment at home, but there are ways
by which counterfeit medicines can be identified and avoided
• Checking a medicine for genuineness is not an easy task but can be
done by following these tricks;
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10. Check the Packaging
• This is the simplest and the easiest method to check the authenticity of
medicines
• Check the packaging for details like unusual fonts, print colour, and
spelling errors
• Analyse whether it appears the same or different from the one you have
used before
No Breakage in the Seal
• The security seal (especially in bottled medicines) should not be
damaged. Look for a crack or breaks in the sealing tape
Check the Tablets/Dosage Form
• Look for dissimilarities in physical appearance of the drug like its
colour, size, uniformity, consistency, shape, etc.
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11. Physical Attributes of Tablets
• As stated by World Health Organization, the common physical
attributes that need to be looked out in medicine tablets are:
Small pieces of tablets or excessive powder at the bottom of the medicine
container
Cracks in the tablets
The appearance of crystal on the container walls or on the medicine tablets
Softening or hardening of the medicines
Swelling, spots or discoloration of the tablets.
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12. Allergies / Unexpected Side Effects
• Most of the medicines have mild side effects as such it is
important to consult your doctor before the usage to keep a check
on allergies arising from it
• Certain unexpected or harmful side effects from any medication
should be reported immediately.
Price
• If the price of the medicine is suddenly far cheaper than the usual
rate, double check the product as there may be a chance that the
fake companies wanted to lure customers by providing medicines
at much cheaper rates.
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13. Verify Medicines by Online or SMS
• Unique Identification Code along with a barcode is printed on
medicine packages or strips
• Consumers can send the unique “Authentication code” by SMS to
receive an authentication message from the pharmaceutical
manufacturer to confirm the authenticity of the drug being
purchased
• The Authentication code may not be available on all medicines,
except for some expensive medicines.
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14. Vendors
• The pharmaceutical industry is flooded with a plethora of
medicine brands
• Purchasing medicines from a reputable pharmacy or good
medicine brands will greatly reduce your chances of buying fake
drugs
• Stop buying from unqualified and illiterate street Vendors.
Details on the Drug
• Match whether the Expiry date, Batch number and the address of
the Manufacturer on the secondary package are same as that on
the primary package.
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15. Verify Manufacturer’s Address
• To verify the manufacturer’s origin is simple and easy only when it
comes from a reputable, international company that has a well-
tracking system in place
• That’s often not the scenario as fake companies can’t get their exact
address printed on the medicines
• In that case, check if the manufacturer’s address is traceable, i.e.
whether it contains the exact location of the company and not just the
country’s name.
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