Medicine
Whether or not you will be a dispensing practice, you will still need some medicine at your practice (e.g., emergency medicine, analgesics, local anaesthetics, etc.). For all your pharmaceutical needs, you can easily create an account with a pharmaceutical wholesaler and distributor close to you, e.g., Transpharm, Aptekor, etc.
Once you have an account you can submit your order to them (usually online), and they should deliver the order to your practice within about 24 hours (depending on the wholesaler). While it is helpful to set up the account at this point, it would be advisable to only purchase the medication shortly before opening up practice for the sake of preserving the medicine.
Below is a list of drugs that you are required to have in your practice. Please note that the lists are not comprehensive.
Emergency medicines:
- Adrenaline.
- Aspirin.
- Atropine.
- Beta-adrenergic solution for nebulisation.
- Dextrose 50%.
- Diazepam or Lorazepam.
- Hydrocortisone.
- Induction agent (e.g. Ketamine).
- Muscle relaxant (e.g. Succinylcholine).
- Water for injection/normal saline, etc.
Other helpful medicines to have:
- Anti-emetic (IM).
- Anti-hypertensives for severe hypertension or hypertensive urgency (PO).
- Anti-pyrexial, especially for children (PO or PR).
- Anxiolytic (IM or PO).
- Ceftriaxone (IM).
- Benzathine benzylpenicillin (IM).
- Cortisone (IM, IA, or PO).
- Paracetamol, Diclofenac, or any other fast-acting anti-inflammatory or analgesic (PO, IM, or IV).
- Lignocaine, plain and with vasoconstrictor (local anaesthetic).
- Vitamin B12 and vitamin B complex (IM), etc.
- Local anaesthetic eye drops.
- Family planning injection/depo.
- Topical anaesthetic ointment or gel, etc.
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