Overview : Return and Reconstitution
ContentReturn
- Return is the process of returning the drug to the parent/ issuing store. This is generally followed whenever there are situations like lost to follow-up, transfer out, death, etc.
- Ni-kshay Aushadhi is being used to record and report the process.
- At present, the return of drugs from the patient/ treatment supporters is taking place in Ni-kshay (in Drug Dispensation Module)
- All the unconsumed drugs should be brought back by the treatment supporter to the Peripheral Health Institute (PHI)---->Tuberculosis Units (TU)---->District TB Centre (DTC) within the shortest possible time in order to ensure that they can be re-used in the future.
- Return of Bedaquiline (Bdq): Partially used Bdq bottle should be sent back to State Drug Stores (SDS) wherein it will be accounted for.
- Return of Delamanid (Dlm): Leftover Dlm tablets should be returned back to the District Drug Stores (DDS).
Reconstitution
- Reconstitution is defined as the process of re-packaging the returned anti-TB drugs in the event of loss to follow-up/ death/ discontinuation for any reason, back into a full treatment course for issuing to other patients.
- If the expiry of the remaining drugs is less than six months, the same may be issued at the Nodal Drug-resistant TB Centre (NDR-TBC) for patients while they are admitted and later adjusted from the long expiry bottle that is issued on discharge.
- The reconstitution exercise is carried out only for the Bedaquiline drug and is done at the SDS.
- First Expiry First Out (FEFO) principle should be strictly followed while issuing re-constituted drugs to the patients and also be cautious about the reconstituted drugs belonging to the different expiry batches.
- The reconstituted drugs should be accounted for and reported in Ni-kshay Aushadhi through the Box-preparation module under the Packaging/ Re-packaging service.
Resources
- Standard Operating Procedure Manual Procurement & Supply Chain Management, CTD, MoHFW, India, 2018.
- Return from Patient, Ni-kshay Aushadhi User Manual, CTD, MoHFW, India.
- Packaging and Repackaging, Ni-kshay Aushadhi User Manual, CTD, MoHFW, India.
Assessment
Question
Answer 1
Answer 2
Answer 3
Answer 4
Correct answer
Correct explanation
Page id
Part of Pre-test
Part of Post-test
Where is the reconstitution of Bdq drugs carried out?
District Drug Store
State Drug Store
Tuberculosis Unit
Peripheral Health Institute
2
The reconstitution of Bdq drugs should be carried out only at the State Drug Store.
Yes
Yes
Process of Return of Drugs
ContentUnder the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), the return process is facilitated through the Ni-kshay Aushadhi.
Return from the sub store to the parent store
- This is used to return drugs from the sub-store to the parent store, like from the Peripheral Health Institute (PHI) drug store to the Tuberculosis Unit (TU) drug store.
Steps in Ni-kshay Aushadhi for returning from the sub store to the patient store

Flowchart 2: Process of return from the sub store to the parent store on Ni-kshay Aushadhi

Figure 2: 5 - Return Request Desk, 6 - Returning Drugs Entry, 7 - Return Voucher; Source: Return from Patient, Nikshay Aushadhi User Manual, CTD, MoHFW, India.
Resources
- Standard Operating Procedure Manual Procurement & Supply Chain Management, CTD; MoHFW,India,2018.
- Return from Patient, Nikshay Aushadhi User Manual, CTD, MoHFW, India.
Assessment
Question
Answer 1
Answer 2
Answer 3
Answer 4
Correct answer
Correct explanation
Page id
Part of Pre-test
Part of Post-test
Return of drugs from the parent store is facilitated on Ni-kshay Aushadhi through which of the following options?
Return from patient
Return Request Desk
Both of the above
None of the above
2
In Ni-kshay Aushadhi, return from the parent store is facilitated through the ‘Return Request Desk’.
Yes
Yes
Recording reconstitution in Nikshay Aushadhi
ContentBox reconstitution means to unpack the prepared boxes into loose medicine. The loose medicine is then added back to the inventory of the store where reconstitution is done. Any box whether complete, incomplete, or modified can be reconstituted. Reconstitution can be done at State Drug Store (SDS) and District Drug Store (DDS) level only and once reconstituted, the box will no longer exist in the inventory. The process of reconstitution in Nikshay Aushadhi is known as box unpacking and involves the following steps:

Figure 1: Overview of process of recording of reconstitution in Nikshay Aushadhi
Detailed procedure:
Step 1: Go to the Nikshay Aushadhi website and click on login. Enter your user ID, Password, the captcha text and click login.
Step 2: Reach the ‘Box unpacking’ window following the path Home-menu>services>packing/repacking>Box unpacking and select your store. Select the TB subcategory then drug name and click on the ‘go’ tab.
Step 3: The system will show all the available boxes (complete, incomplete, and modified) with batch number, expiry Date, stock Quantity, and Stock Status. Select the desired box to be unpacked.

Figure 2: Box unpacking window in Nikshay Aushadhi
Source: Nikshay Aushadhi portal
Step 4: Once selected the system will show details of the drugs in that box. Any quantity less than or equal to the stock quantity of that box can be unpacked. For example, if the stock quantity of the selected box is 100 then any number of boxes between 1 and 100 van be unpacked. Specify the number of the boxes to be unpacked and then click the ‘save’ tab to complete the process. Upon completion, the system will generate the ‘box unpacking complete’ alert. After unpacking the box, the drugs from the box will be added loose into the inventory.

Figure 3: Saving details of box reconstitution
Source: Nikshay Aushadhi portal
Resources
Nikshay Aushadhi Manual-Central TB Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India
Assessment
Answer 1
Answer 2
Answer 3
Answer 4
Correct answer
Correct explanation
Page id
Part of Pre-test
Part of Post-test
Box unpacking can be done at
SDS
DDS
Both 1 and 2
At any store
3
Box unpacking can be done at SDS, and DDS level only
YES
YES
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