Audit trail for medicinal supplies at government-owned elderly homes

Medical material mangament unit • Video by Ray Attard

New premises for the Medical Material Management Unit at Saint Vincent de Paul Residence were launched this morning by parliamentary secretary for the elderly Justyne Caruana.

The €50,000 refurbishment project was necessary to provide SVPR employees with a safe environment from where to work, Caruana said.

“The MMMU’s former premises were small, derelict and in breach of health and safety standards. The MMMU has not only been provided with adequate premises but an IT system has been implemented and an audit trail of the medical supplies is now available,” she said.

The MMMU caters for SVPR and the elderly residences owned by the government. The residence has also spent €150,000 on a medical report.

The computerised system allows an efficient storage management and a timely top-up system.

Up until a few months ago, the inventory system was manual leading to hoarding of medicines and excessive wastage: “The new system promotes cost-effectiveness,” Caruana said.

The parliamentary secretary said refurbishment works were being carried out on two wards and plans are currently underway to increase the bed space at the elderly home.