Implementing Distribution Requirement Planning in Medan City Health Department's Medicine Distribution System

Abstract

One of the pharmacy installations located in the Medan city area was tasked with overseeing the management of pharmaceutical inventory for public health facilities, ensuring adequate stock levels, and processing medication-related data, including receiving supplies and LPLPO forms from 41 Public Health Centers. Supervisors at the pharmacy installation were responsible for dispensing medications, while medication managers at the Public Health Centers handled medication requests by completing LPLPO forms and sending them to the installation. Issues arose regarding the accuracy of medication data within its operations, encompassing aspects such as initial stock, receipt of medications, inventory management, medication disbursement (including usage, damaged, or expired items), remaining stock, medication requests, and discrepancies between reported and actual medication quantities. The objective of this study was to establish a web-based data processing system utilizing the Distribution Requirement Planning (DRP) methodology. The DRP approach offered significant insights for forecasting medication stock demands and effectively guided the pharmacy installation in meeting the medication needs of the Public Health Centers. Furthermore, the DRP method shed light on the distribution process costs, thus serving as a valuable tool for enhancing cost efficiency and effectiveness. Results obtained through the DRP approach provided a more efficient distribution process, yielding a notable 93% reduction in expenditure. Additionally, the DRP method successfully anticipated future requirements by employing structured calculations that delineated demand levels experienced by each Public Health Center, accounting for the distinct needs of each facility.