-
Authenticity In Healthcare:Critical Yet Uncertain
In terms of volume, India's pharmaceutical industry ranks third in the world. However, over the years, there have been multiple incidents of medicines 'not of standard quality' (NSQ), adulterated, misbranded and spurious drugs being circulated in the market. These drugs can adversely impact the quality of treatment, besides contributing to the emergence of drug resistance and the spread of disease. -
In terms of volume, India's pharmaceutical industry ranks third in the world. However, over the years, there have been multiple incidents of medicines 'not of standard quality' (NSQ), adulterated, misbranded and spurious drugs being circulated in the market. These drugs can adversely impact the quality of treatment, besides contributing to the emergence of drug resistance and the spread of disease.
A report by the US Trade Representative office in 2019 stated that up to 20% of the medicines sold in India were counterfeit. In diagnostics, unauthorized and uncertified labs, wrongly conducted tests and inaccurate reports pose a major threat to quality healthcare*.
While the circulation of sub-standard drugs poses an issue, the inability to identify these adds to the problem. For a normal consumer, it may not be possible to spot the difference between real and fake. With this arises the need for a healthcare partner you can rely on.
*https://www.theweek.in/news/health/2020/01/04/study-claims-widespread-malpractice-in-path-labs.html
At Tata 1mg we have always believed that trust is the foundation of quality healthcare.
A few months ago, we embarked on a mission to communicate our authentic and honest practices to our customers. To do so, we identified the various pillars that 'trust' rests upon and how we remain true to these, by clearly calling out the 'Reasons To Believe' (RTBs) behind our stringent practices.
As we identified these pillars, we realized that authenticity was the most important lever in upholding trust. Thus, this campaign of Building Authenticity at Tata 1mg.
Through this campaign, we will take you on a journey of understanding each of these RTBs, and the measures we take to stick to these.
Follow us for the next few weeks, and dive deeper into the RTBs of authenticity at Tata 1mg.
How do we do it?
We ensure the sanctity and quality of our products and services, by enforcing these
4 key tenets of authenticity.
With Tata 1mg, be assured of the authenticity and genuineness of the products and services we offer. From responsible procurement to safe dispatch, we deliver the highest quality of healthcare.
More than 90% of our medicines and health products are sourced from pharmaceutical companies and their authorized distributors, thus ensuring their genuineness.
We ensure that any medicine shipped out has a minimum validity of 3 months. This ensures enough consumption time before expiry.
100% of our warehouses are equipped with air conditioning, maintaining a temperature of 25–30 Celsius at all times, ensuring the sanctity and efficacy of all our products. We ensure that all high-risk and cold-chain medicines are stored in adequate temperatures and conditions.
For cold-chain medicines, we ensure end-to-end monitoring at all stages from warehouse inward, storage, transport till delivery to customers.
All lab test samples are transported in temperature-controlled boxes and stored safely in adequate temperatures.
Tata 1mg Labs are NABL accredited/ certified. National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories is an accreditation that assesses and certifies the quality and competence of medical laboratories.
Our National Reference Lab in Okhla, New Delhi, is one of the few labs in the realm of routine high-end diagnostics that have CAP accreditation. The College of American Pathologists (CAP's) Laboratory Accreditation Program accredits the entire spectrum of laboratory test disciplines with the most scientifically rigorous customized checklist requirements.
CAP Laboratory Accreditation helps laboratories:
- Maintain accuracy of test results and ensure accurate patient diagnosis
- Meet required standards, ensuring patient care and safety.
Tata 1mg Labs is the only national diagnostics chain in India to have 100% NABL accredited/ certified labs. National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories is an accreditation that assesses and certifies the quality and competence of medical laboratories.
Every single report goes through a 3-step review process to ensure accuracy:
- Advanced systems and cutting-edge technology intelligently analyze results with precision.
- Experienced lab experts and technicians conduct comprehensive reviews.
- Reports undergo rigorous medical scrutiny and are signed off by doctors.
At Tata 1mg, we ensure that the quality of your medicines, health products, lab tests and doctor consultations is consistently maintained. We do so through various processes, regular audits and stringent checks.
Quality for Medicines
Multiple quality checks and cross-verification processes are implemented across all stages in the supply chain to ensure safe delivery of right medicines.
- All fulfilment centres have air conditioning to ensure temperature control at 25-30 degrees celsius
- To ensure right dispensation of medicines, all fulfilment centres have dedicated endorsed pharmacists and QR scanning based dispatch
- Regulatory compliance audits conducted twice a year by Institutional Quality Assurance Team ensuring quality maintenance
- Proper dispensing of medicines ensured with Pharmacist sign mandated for every order
- All medicines with expiry date < 90 days are pulled out of stores
- Regulatory compliance audits conducted twice a year by Institutional Quality Assurance Team ensuring quality maintenance
- Medicines and health products are sourced directly from the brand, Tata 1mg warehouse or from approved vendors only
- All SKUs are checked for damage and seal by store staff at inwarding medicines. Near expiry products (<90 days) are pulled out
- Every store is equipped with a refrigerator to ensure adequate storage. Pharmacy room temperature is maintained between 25-30 degrees for better efficiency of medicines
- Monthly full Stock audit is done to ensure compliance with SOPs
- Every pharmacy has a minimum of 3-8 endorsed pharmacists to manage round-the-clock operations
What are cold chain medicines?
Cold chain medicines must be stored at a temperature of 2-8° C to maintain their quality and safety.
How are cold chain medicines managed?
The cold chain for pharmaceuticals requires uninterrupted temperature-control on the journey from their site of manufacture all the way to where they are administered. As a consequence, dedicated solutions are required for the freezing/thawing, packaging, tracking, and storing of these temperature-sensitive products.
How does Tata 1mg ensure quality in cold chain orders?
At Tata 1mg, we monitor the quality of cold chain medicines, right up till the point that they are delivered to the customer. Here’s how we enforce it at every step:
Quality assurance for lab tests
- Sample Collection: We use single-use kits for collection. These are shown to the user before collection. Furthermore, the phlebotomists ensure to sanitize their hands and put on a fresh pair of disposable gloves.
- Handling of Samples: All lab test samples are transported in temperature-controlled boxes and stored safely in adequate temperatures.
- Verified test procedures: We follow highly validated and standardized test procedures as per the CLSI (Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute) guidelines
- External assessments: All our labs undergo thorough third-party assessment by authorized experts, who evaluate the lab's performance.
- Cutting-edge technology: Our labs are equipped with cutting-edge technology that uses calibrated and well-maintained equipment
At Tata 1mg, we ensure that your healthcare journey is guided by well-trained and highly skilled healthcare experts. From promising an endorsed pharmacist to dispense the right medicines, to ensuring safe sample collection by a trained phlebotomist and accurate testing by a skilled pathologist: Be 100% Sure with Tata 1mg.
Eligibility Criteria
- Bachelor/Diploma/Certification in Medical Lab Technology (MLT)
- Minimum experience of 1+ years
Training
- 3-day training during onboarding covering 16 topics such as Role, Responsibility & Quality of Phlebotomist, Do’s and Don’ts of Phlebotomist, Venipuncture Technique and more
- Regular training covering sessions on skill upgrades, and pre-analytical errors as well as external training on Best Practices of Phlebotomy by BD (Becton, Dickinson)
Eligibility Criteria
- MBBS, MD or DNB in Pathology/Microbiology
- 3 to 7 Years of Experience Specializing in Pathology
- Valid and Active medical license
- Compliance with ISO 15189/NABL 112
Eligibility Criteria
- Bachelor's degree/Diploma in Lab Technician or MLT
- 2-5 Years of Experience as a lab Technician
- Knowledge of Quality, Health, Safety, and Environment (QHSE) management systems
Eligibility Criteria
- B Pharma / D Pharma
- Registration with the Pharmacy Council Of India (Statewise)
Training
- Specialized training conducted at regular intervals
In healthcare, the authenticity and credibility of information is as important as the treatment of any ailment. As you must be aware, our journey as a healthcare leader began with content. As content remains one of our strongest suits, we ensure through several robust processes, to keep it authentic, relevant, and up to date. Our experts strive to deliver precise, and trustworthy content, every time. Here’s what enables us to do so:
Expert team of 25 specialty doctors, dentists, microbiologists, biotechnologists, and 18 medical experts /advisors to curate and write content.
All our information is from the most trusted sources, medical journals and the latest international health portals.
Editorial policy that includes 10 stages of workflow focused on delivering trusted and evidence-based healthcare information that is comprehensive, and well-researched.
The medicine and health content is curated through a well-structured editorial and review process which includes in-depth review by our Clinical Specialist Review Board.
The members of Tata 1mg's Clinical Specialist Review Board are recognized experts in the healthcare domain from leading academic and medical institutions of the country. They evaluate the content from an expert's point of view to ensure that it is scientifically accurate.
News Flash
Messages from the Leaders
Test your knowledge!
Spotted a fun puzzle at your desk today?
See how many words you can find and flip to know the answers!
