Title: Storing pharmaceutical supplies safely
Course: Health Management, Ethics and Research - Ethiopia (Full)

Storing pharmaceutical supplies safely

You should store pharmaceutical supplies in an orderly manner and record them in the stock book as soon as you collect them or receive them. Drugs should be kept in a cupboard, dry and cool and away from direct sunlight (Figure 6.7). Keep tablets in airtight tins or jars and clearly label each container. Clearly mark all containers with drugs that will expire this year. Vaccines should always be kept in the refrigerator.

Figure 6.7 A drug store at a rural Health Post. (Photo: Basiro Davey)

When storing and using drugs and other pharmaceutical supplies, remember the FIFO and FEFO principles:

- FIFO: First-In, First-Out (first use the drug that first went into the cupboard or refrigerator)
- FEFO: First-Expired, First-Out (first use the drug that will expire first).