Pharmacy Assistant

Job Description

Title: Pharmacy Assistant

Company Name: Partners in Health and Development (PHD)

Vacancy: --

Age: At least 22 years

Job Location: Cox`s Bazar, Cox`s Bazar (Teknaf)

Salary: --

Experience:

• At least 2 years

• Diploma/Certificate in Pharmacy, Pharmacy Technology, Medical Science, or a relevant health-related discipline from a recognized institution.
• Registration/certification with the relevant regulatory authority, where applicable to the position.
• Formal training in medicine management, dispensing, LMIS or pharmaceutical supply-chain management will be an advantage.

• At least 2 years

• Age At least 22 years

Experience:

• Preferably 2 years of relevant experience in pharmacy, medicine store management, hospital pharmacy, NGO/INGO health programmes or pharmaceutical supply-chain operations.
• Experience in a hospital, Upazila Health Complex, district hospital or primary health-care facility is preferred.
• Experience in MNCAH, humanitarian health programmes or emergency medicine management will be an advantage.
• Previous experience in Cox’s Bazar, Rohingya response, hard-to-reach, coastal or island settings will be highly desirable.

Partners in Health and Development (PHD)

House # SWD 12/A, Road # 8, Gulshan 1, Dhaka 1212

MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience (MIHR) Project

Project: MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience (MIHR) Project

Duty Station: Project-supported health facilities, Cox’s Bazar District / Teknaf, including hard-to-reach areas

Reports To: Medical Officer / Facility In-Charge / Project Coordinator

Project Background

Partners in Health and Development (PHD) is implementing the MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience (MIHR) project to strengthen maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition (MNCH-N) services and health system resilience in fragile and hard-to-reach areas of Cox's Bazar. The project has been working in geographically challenged and hard to reach areas with limited access to timely and quality health services, particularly during adverse weather, sea-related transportation disruptions, and other emergencies. Women and newborns requiring emergency obstetric and neonatal care may face delays in reaching higher-level facilities.

Job Purpose

The Pharmacy Assistant will support the safe, efficient and accountable management and dispensing of medicines, medical supplies and other pharmaceutical commodities at project-supported health facilities.

The position will assist with receiving, storing, dispensing and recording medicines; maintaining stock and inventory records; monitoring expiry dates and storage conditions; supporting rational medicine use; preventing stock-outs and wastage; and ensuring that patients receive medicines according to authorized prescriptions and established protocols.

The Pharmacy Assistant will work closely with Medical Officers, Nurses, Midwives, Medical Assistants, Laboratory personnel and other health staff to ensure uninterrupted availability of essential medicines and commodities.

Key Responsibilities

Medicine Dispensing

• Receive prescriptions and dispense medicines accurately under the supervision of an authorized Pharmacist/clinician.
• Verify the medicine name, strength, dosage form, quantity and instructions before dispensing.
• Ensure medicines are dispensed only against valid prescriptions or authorized treatment protocols.
• Provide patients with clear instructions regarding dosage, frequency, duration and storage of medicines.
• Confirm patient identity before dispensing.
• Maintain confidentiality of patient and prescription information.
• Refer unclear, incomplete or potentially inappropriate prescriptions to the Pharmacist or Medical Officer.

Prescription and Patient Support

• Review prescriptions for completeness before dispensing.
• Support clinicians by providing information on medicine availability and stock status.
• Alert the responsible Pharmacist/Medical Officer to potential duplication, allergy information provided by the patient, unusual dosage or other concerns.
• Counsel patients on proper medicine use within the scope of responsibility.
• Explain the importance of completing prescribed treatment.
• Provide appropriate instructions for storage of medicines at home.
• Encourage patients to return for follow-up when advised.

Medicine Stock and Inventory Management

• Maintain accurate medicine stock registers and inventory records.
• Receive medicines and pharmaceutical commodities from authorized sources.
• Check quantities, batch numbers, expiry dates and physical condition upon receipt.
• Arrange medicines systematically in accordance with storage requirements.
• Follow FEFO (First Expiry, First Out) principles.
• Conduct routine physical stock counts and reconcile physical stock with records.
• Monitor minimum and maximum stock levels.
• Identify slow-moving, fast-moving, near-expiry and excess stock.
• Report actual or anticipated stock-outs promptly.
• Support preparation of medicine requisitions and replenishment requests.

Storage and Warehouse Management

• Maintain appropriate temperature, humidity, cleanliness and security in medicine storage areas.
• Ensure medicines requiring special storage conditions are handled appropriately.
• Maintain appropriate separation of internal and external medicines and other categories as required.
• Keep expired, damaged or recalled medicines clearly segregated from usable stock.
• Maintain organized shelves and storage areas.
• Ensure restricted or controlled medicines, where applicable, are managed according to relevant legal and organizational requirements.
• Prevent unauthorized access to medicines and pharmaceutical commodities.

Expiry and Wastage Management

• Routinely monitor medicine expiry dates.
• Maintain a near-expiry list.
• Prioritize appropriate utilization or redistribution of near-expiry medicines where permitted.
• Prevent dispensing of expired or damaged medicines.
• Record medicine losses, damages and wastage accurately.
• Report unusual or excessive wastage to the supervisor.
• Support safe disposal of expired or damaged medicines according to approved procedures.

Rational Medicine Use

• Support appropriate use of medicines in accordance with prescriptions, national guidelines and facility protocols.
• Promote adherence to prescribed dosage and duration.
• Support clinicians and pharmacists in monitoring medicine utilization.
• Identify unusual medicine consumption patterns and report them to the supervisor.
• Participate in medicine-use reviews and quality improvement activities.
• Support antimicrobial stewardship activities as directed by qualified personnel.

Emergency Preparedness and Response

• Maintain readiness of emergency medicines and essential pharmaceutical commodities.
• Support rapid replenishment of emergency medicine stocks.
• Participate in emergency preparedness activities.
• Support uninterrupted medicine supply during cyclones, floods, landslides, disease outbreaks and other emergencies.
• Maintain emergency stock according to approved facility requirements.
• Support emergency medicine distribution during outbreaks and mass-casualty situations.

Documentation and Reporting

• Maintain pharmacy registers, stock cards/bin cards and dispensing records.
• Record receipts, issues, losses, adjustments and balances accurately.
• Prepare routine consumption and stock reports.
• Support monthly medicine consumption and stock reporting.
• Maintain records of near-expiry, expired, damaged and disposed medicines.
• Support data entry into relevant HMIS, LMIS or digital systems where applicable.
• Ensure pharmacy documentation is complete, accurate and up to date.

Coordination with Clinical and Facility Teams

• Coordinate with Medical Officers, Nurses, Midwives and other service providers regarding medicine availability.
• Inform clinicians of stock-outs or substitutions that require clinical approval.
• Participate in facility coordination and review meetings.
• Support medicine forecasting and quantification exercises.
• Coordinate with project logistics and procurement teams regarding medicine and commodity requirements.
• Support government and project supervisory visits.

Infection Prevention and Safety

• Maintain a clean and hygienic pharmacy environment.
• Follow infection prevention and control measures.
• Use appropriate PPE when handling potentially hazardous materials.
• Ensure safe handling of broken, contaminated or damaged medicine containers.
• Follow appropriate waste-management procedures.
• Report accidents, spills and safety incidents immediately.

Safeguarding and PSEA

• Follow PHD's safeguarding, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and Code of Conduct policies.
• Maintain professional boundaries with patients, caregivers and colleagues.
• Report safeguarding concerns through established reporting mechanisms.
• Ensure that vulnerable clients receive respectful and equitable services.

Working Conditions

The Pharmacy Assistant may be required to work in remote, hard-to-reach, coastal, island and disaster-prone locations.

The position may involve:

• Shift and roster-based duties.
• Weekend and public-holiday duties where required.
• Handling and storage of pharmaceutical products.
• Working during disease outbreaks and emergencies.
• Temporary deployment to remote project-supported facilities.
• Working under difficult transportation and communication conditions.
• Maintaining medicine availability during disruptions to normal supply chains.