Future-Ready Pharmaceutical Practice: AI-Driven Redistribution of Short-Dated Stock in South African Public Hospitals

Abstract

Pharmaceutical waste due to expired medicines poses a critical challenge in South Africa’s public healthcare system. This quality improvement project aimed to mitigate the risk of fruitless and wasteful expenditure associated with short-dated medicines (identified as stock with six months or less to expiry) through a pharmacist-led, artificial intelligence (AI) enhanced redistribution model. The initiative, implemented at Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital and later piloted for external redistribution, focused on three key interventions: ward-based audits, monthly redistribution efforts, and the conceptualisation of an AI-driven expiry and demand prediction platform. The result was a substantial reduction in potential stock losses, with R31 314.55 worth of medicines successfully redistributed internally and externally. The project aligns with national priorities on pharmaceutical accountability and has been proposed as a scalable model across other districts.