Strengthening local capacity: bin cards for better logistics management 28.10.2018

At Pyi Gyi Khin Taunggyi Key Population Service Centre, bin-cards are kept up-to-date, and properly displayed for each drug item. Here, store in-charge Ma Hnin Pwint Soe regularly updates bin cards with information including drug name, dosage, form, batch number and expiry dates. “Bin cards have made my work easier to monitor drug balance.”

Availability of an adequate quantity of drugs is critical, but how do we know the balance of drug items in the store? Bin cards are part of the solution to make sure that lifesaving drugs procured with Global Fund support are always in stock. 

Drug stores need to be efficiently managed, as availability of an adequate quantity of drugs is essential for positive outcomes in patients. Since many drug items are received from the central store, how can we know the drug balance at a glance? This is very important in monitoring medical products and health commodities. How can we make sure that there are no stock-outs? Part of the UNOPS-PR logistics support to partners implementing the Global Fund grant, is building the capacity of staff involved in store/warehouse management and distribution activities, to properly store and distribute essential medicines and health commodities.

The UNOPS-PR logistics team helps partners with the proper use of forms, formats, records, reports and tools, according to the standard logistics procedures and rules.

“When we enter the store, we look at bin cards so we can instantly know the type of drug, name, strength and the quantity in stock. Since it is a medical product, we also need to know the expiry date, and we can see all that information at a glance, without having to do any manual counting. That is why bin cards are important in supply chain and logistics. They are very useful,” explained Ko Thiha Soe, UNOPS-PR Logistics Analyst, highlighting the importance of bin cards. 

“I think bin cards are handy records to monitor a drug store,” UNOPS-PR Logistics Analyst Ko Thiha Soe
“I think bin cards are handy records to monitor a drug store,” UNOPS-PR Logistics Analyst Ko Thiha Soe

Ma Hnin Pwint Soe, a store-in-charge at Pyi Gyi Khin Taunggyi KPSC, says the support she received has made store management more efficient. “I fill bin cards as soon as a new drug item arrives and keep them updated regularly with information that includes drug name, dosage, form, batch number and expiry dates. It helps me know the balance, which is very important information in helping prevent stock-outs. That’s why we have never had any stock-outs,” she explained.

As part of the logistics support, Ko Thiha Soe was keen to know whether there were any challenges in keeping them updated regularly. “There is no issue at all. It is very practical to use bin cards. It makes it easier to do a ground-check and monitor the drug quantity,” replied Ma Hnin Pwint Soe.

UNOPS-PR PSM team regularly visits partners’ warehouses and storage facilities to support partners in logistics management in their implementation of the Global Fund grants. In 2017, UNOPS-PR PSM team provided support to improve stock-keeping practices and supply systems through 136 field monitoring visits. Both UNOPS-PR team and partners are satisfied with this achievement.