Pharmacy software in Tanzania: what it must do

A pharmacy is not a shop that happens to sell medicines. Stock expires, some items need a prescription, some are controlled, and some must stay cold. Software built for a general shop handles none of that.

What a pharmacy system has to track

• Stock by batch, with an expiry date on every batch, not one total per medicine.
• Alerts before a batch expires, so you can sell it first or return it.
• Prescriptions, linked to what was dispensed.
• Insurer claims, so a sale paid by insurance is recorded as a claim you can follow up.
• Controlled medicines, with their own register.
• Cold-chain items, with their storage records.

Sell the oldest batch first

When two batches of the same medicine are on the shelf, the one that expires first should sell first. The practice is called FEFO, first expiry, first out. Software that only knows a total quantity cannot help you do it. Software that knows each batch can suggest the right one at the till.

The till still has to be fast

A pharmacy with a long queue cannot wait for a slow search. Check that you can find a medicine by name in a catalogue of thousands, that the sale takes a few taps, and that it still works when the internet is slow or down.

Questions to ask any vendor

• Does it track expiry per batch, and warn me early?
• Can I record a prescription against the sale?
• How does it handle sales paid by an insurer?
• Does it keep working offline?
• Can I try it with my own medicines before I pay?

Try it with your own medicines.

Add your stock with its batches and expiry dates and sell with it for 14 days. Free, no card.