Reflections on the management of medicines and medical supplies in a public hospital unit in Vale do Paraí­ba Paulista

Abstract

The public hospitals suffer from the lack of resource, especially financial resources, what creates a negative impact on the community assistance. This article answers whether the constraints of the storage system, the replacement and the distribution of medicines and the medical supplies in a public hospital, cause the lack of medicines and the medical materials, the increased costs and the inefficiency in patient care. To answer this question, the research aimed to study the system of supply, the storage and the distribution of medicines and medical supplies. The investigated institution is characterized as a general hospital, located in Vale do Paraiba Paulista. The case study was used as methodology, in order to a descriptive and qualitative approach. It was conducted the survey of the services, the inventory consumption of medicines and the medical materials, finding that it is possible to draw useful conclusions for the planning, the scheduling and the production control – PSPC of rendered services, except for the ophthalmic surgery, by the high range, either downwards and upwards. In this case, a special attention is needed, even with the high inventory, it runs the risk of lack of medicine and medical supplies to the patient.