Classification of Stock types

Various stocks are maintained at different levels. To facilitate the monitoring of the quantity of these stocks, these are classified as follows:

1. Active Stock: It refers to those stocks which have passed all quality parameters and those which are ready to use/ dispatch for consumption. This is the heart of a warehouse and mostly uses the major chunk of storage. The First Expiry First Out (FEFO) principle will apply to this section of the drug stock.
2. Quarantine Stock: The stock which is pending for quality testing or not yet prepared for active usage is called quarantine medicines. This stock is kept in a separate area that is called the quarantine area and is not to be disbursed for usage until they are declared as active stock.
3. Safety Stock: Buffer stock or safety stock is the amount of stock or medicine set aside to meet the requirements of the facility/ store at the time of an emergency like unforeseen demand or depleting stock. However, this stock should be frequently checked for expiry and replenished at right time to prevent its expiry.
4. Damaged Stock: The medicines or stocks which are found damaged during the delivery at a particular facility/ warehouse in terms of packaging/ leakage/ broken, are to be identified and kept separately as damaged stock. The idea is to return them to the supplier with the proper Damage Stock Report Form. The pharmacist needs to mark such damaged stock in the delivery challan at the time of the receipt.
5. Substandard Stock: Substandard medicines/ items are products that do not meet the quality standards and specifications. These items should be kept separately to avoid their use. These stocks need to be reported to the parent store. As per the directions, these stocks either need to be returned to the supplier or disposed of in accordance with the biomedical waste management guidelines.
6. Lost in Transit Stock: It refers to the stock which is either misplaced/ lost during transportation. The pharmacist needs to report such stock in the delivery challan at the time of the receipt and the same needs to be reported to the supplying store immediately.
7. Expired Stock: Ideally, the warehouse should not have an expired medicine/ item if a proper FEFO mechanism is adopted for dispatch. However, in certain situations, drugs/ items may get expired and may not be suitable for usage as recommended by the manufacturer. Such stock is called Expired Stock. These expired drugs/ items need to be kept separately in a demarcated area and are labelled as expired drugs/ items and are to be disposed of, in accordance with the prevailing biomedical waste disposal guidelines after obtaining necessary approvals.

Resources

• Operational Guidelines for TB Services at Health & Wellness Centres, MoHFW, GoI, 2020.

Assessment