4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
|
4. Successful Strategies
4.1 The organization has Develop and implement with partnership as part of state agencies which hold social responsibility. (Patients)
4.2 Success of the project is shared and celebrated by two state agencies. However, the mutual cooperation is ultimately for the full benefits of the public.
4.3 According to the value chain, the delivery of narcotic substances shall be set as the primary activity of the Narcotics Revolving Fund’s process.
4.4 According to the SWOT Analysis, the Narcotics Revolving Fund has strong financial potentiality for development project.
4.5 The Narcotics Revolving Fund included this development project in its strategy plans for fiscal year 2013 – 2016 which aim to be achieved.
4.6 The joint committee from the two organizations was set up to develop the system and program at the beginning of the project, resulting in friendship and mutual pride of the project achievement.
4.7 Training sessions are organized to introduce proper application of the new system to customers from public and private hospitals as well as animal hospitals nationwide. The customers are also invited to share their feedback.
(Plan of action : Detail in attached file)
|
|
5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
|
5. Concerned persons
The project aims to resolve the problems found in the process of narcotic substance delivery to customers and reported directly by customers. In addition, it is initiated in response to the FDA Secretary’s policy requiring the agencies under the FDA to revisit and adjust working procedures, using IT technology, for better services.
The Narcotics Revolving Fund, therefore, put the issue in its urgent agenda and started implementation according to its two following strategies.
- Revision and minimization of internal operations process
- Application of Information Technology (IT) for more effective service
To achieve the project goals, the Narcotics Revolving Fund called for collaboration from the Thailand Post, who has been responsible for delivering stock to customers, to jointly design and develop a program to improve the former system of medicine delivery. The joint team worked under support of the executive officers from both organizations three months (January - March 2013). Meanwhile, involved officers attended regular meetings to brainstorm ideas to adjust and eliminate unnecessary steps in the internal operations process. The
Once the prototype of program was ready, the program was trialed and a training plan was designed to prepare the related officers from both organizations to work efficiently in the new system. The system named ‘Shipping Tools’ was finally launched on April 1, 2013.
Following the initial launch of the system, the Food and Drug Administration and the Thailand Post Co., Ltd. signed an MOU and officially introduced the Shipping Tools system to the public on June 21, 2013 at the Thailand Post headquarter.
|
6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
|
6. Resources
The Organization has allocated resources to each areas to facilitate and support the project. In terms of Technical Resource, Shipping Tools program is used for recording medicine delivery data and tracking delivery status. It was jointly developed by the Narcotics Revolving Fund and the Thailand Post. The latter counterpart funded all the costs. Meanwhile, in human Resource department, 5 personals are assigned for their responsibility in the following roles; 2 persons for picking and packing orders, while 2 personels are in charge of quality control as well as one person take care of loading data into Shipping Tools system.
For Material Resource, the organizations swapped from using the prior sizes of boxes, which includes 4 different sizes of medicine boxes (original sizes) , No. 1 Small 0.18 meters x 0.18 meters x 0.18 meters, No. 2 Medium 0.42 meters x 0.18 meters x 0.20 meters, No. 3 Large 0.34 meters x 0.28 meters x 0.22 meters, No. 4 Extra Large 0.36 meters x 0.30 meters x 0.36 meters and the applying stickers to show the emergency status of packages. Speaking of Logistic Cost, with assistance of the Thailand Post, cost of delivery under the new system is based on package size instead of package weight. No. 1 package costs 60 baht per parcel, No. 2 package costs 70 baht per parcel and No. 3 and 4 package costs 80 baht per parcel
The annual capital of the former system is 846,000 baht while the estimated annual capital of the new system is 1,157,055 baht, accounting for an increase of 311,055 baht per year (36.7%). However, the estimated annual income generated under the new system is only 0.06%. The figures will be presented to the Narcotics Revolving Fund Committee and the FDA Secretary for final decision upon investment. In term of Meeting Cost, Organization of relevant meetings is funded by the NRF.
|
|
7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
|
7. Achievement
The organization has made it success in reducing procedures and service time. The number of procedures is cut down from five to three steps while the delivery service time is fastened from 1-2 months to within 3 working days. Beside, the Shipping Tools System has ensured safety of the narcotics delivery as better security system help lower risk of delivery error and loss. Apart from safety and speed of delivery, the delivery process becomes traceable, online database are accessible and shared by the Thailand Post and the FDA’s medicine warehouse. The improvement of the vehicle in delivery also play a key role in the improvement of the delivery, as specific vehicle for drugs and narcotics are used to prevent being confounded and the GPS is installed in every vehicle to track and monitor the vehicle.The Global Positioning System (GPS) is installed to the vehicle to provide a space-based satellite navigation system that provides location and time information in all weather conditions as well as screening the drivers. During the delivery process, and automatic SMS with 13 digit tracking number will be sent to customers to check status of the delivery. The Three-color label system is also applied to categorize the package. Yellow and green labels are to tell the accuracy of number of medicines whereas red indicates urgent status of the delivery. In case of damage and mistakes, customers will be able to reject and return the parcel once the parcel is delivered, the system will inform the return status afterward on a daily basis. The program will summarize delivery achievement on the daily basis and the report will be submitted to the chief officer everyday. The new system also guarantee “Quality control to the hand of customers“ as Temperature control devices are installed in delivery trucks. Temperature is set at 25 degree Celsius. Furthermore, the new system also considered “Customer’s Convenience priority” as customers can track and trace the delivery status online 24 hours a day with the 13 number digits provided to customers via SMS automatically. Customer will have no difficulties checking their parcel during non-office hours. Officials monitor and control the Postal’s service in the Hub and in the region on the matters, while the online report must be submitted on a daily basis.
|
|
8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
|
8. System installment to track and system assessment
A regular assessment of Program and system development is carried in the weekly meeting.
Information, comments, and observations are collected from the customer representatives who are invited to the meeting as well as the system transmission via social media channel during the trial and launch phase.
8.3 Full system launch
- The FDA Secretary is required to report the two following indicators to the Public Health Minister.
1st Indicator: 85% of narcotic delivery via Thailand Post reaches destination within 3 days.
2nd Indicator: 90% of customers is satisfied with delivery service.
2. Calculation formula:
Number of medical institutes receiving parcels within 3 days** X 100
______________________________________________________________________
Number of all medical institutes on the delivery list***
***Data can be retrieved from Shipping Tool system.
Report showing the ratio of narcotics dispense and delivery within 10 days. The results indicates that during the first quarter the delivery process achieving within 10 days are at 81.11 percent and gradually rises to 91.27 percent in June. In the fourth quarter, the completion of the delivery process climbed to it’s peak at 93.86 percent and remain stable at approximately 92 percent since then. Another form of report also shows the average service time of narcotics ordering and delivery. According the results of the Shipping Tools system performance monitored since the beginning of the trial on April 1, 2013 onwards, the system has achieved the successful criteria in terms of number of delivery and average service time. In the3rd quarter the duration of the delivery process took approximately 9 days but after the 4th quarter, the delivery time is only 7 days.
|
|
9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
|
9. Obstacles, problems and management strategies
At the first stage, customers were not accustomed to the new service. The fund received several calls, asking for information. At the first stage, the number of Thailand Post’s officers assigned to coordinate and supply information to customers, especially those in rural hubs, was insufficient. They also provided wrong information to customers. While, incomplete transfer of data from the former system to the new system. The solutions are Explanation provision via public relations channel which are the MOU Signing Ceremony between the two units in a bid to officially introduce the project to the public. and Meetings which were set up to acknowledge the new system to the customers across the country. The meetings were funded by the fund.Thailand Post put more officers in place and supplied them with additional information needed to facilitate customers. At the first stage, Thailand Post’s programmers temporarily moved to operate in the fund’s office.
|