Medical Affairs Bureau
Ministry of National Defense

Commanded by Surgeon General of Defense & Director General of Medical Affairs Bureau (MAB), the Department of Pharmaceutical Management is responsible for planning and supervising procurement, acquisition, shipment, and supply activities of pharmaceuticals, medical supplies/ consumables, and medical equipment sets (collectively Class Ⅷ Supplies) for the armed forces. The Department’s responsibilities include procurement, shipment, and supply of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies & consumables; maintenance and repair activities of medical equipment sets, for both field medical units and medical treatment facilities (military hospitals) of all echelons of care; formulation of policies and supervision of business activities related to pharmaceuticals management. of military hospitals. The Departments’ operations can be further classified into two distinct entities.

For warfighting units and field medical units, the Department’s activities center around provision, readiness, and stockpiling management of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies/consumables for warfighting units and filed medical units in both peacetime and wartime settings; medical supplies readiness and stockpile management under emerging infectious diseases emergency and disaster relief medical support mission scenarios; policies formulation and activities supervision related to maintenance and repair services for medical equipment sets.

For military hospitals, the Department’s activities focus not only on enhancing and improving pharmaceutical operations quality to establish a patient-centered pharmaceutical care environment and ensuring medication safety, but also highlighting the importance of building a highly digitalized pharmaceutical and medical supplies inventory management system, a medical equipment sets management system capable of conducting utilization and cost-benefit analyses.

Ultimately, via the coordinating platform of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies provision and supply between field medical units and military hospitals, the Department aims to construct a channel of provision and supply for pharmaceuticals, medical supplies/consumables, and medical equipment sets, where peacetime and wartimes requirements can backup and reinforce each other in the most efficient manner, to successfully fulfill the mission of effectively supporting tri-service warfighting units. Furthermore, via a comprehensive program for armed forces medical equipment capital investment, maintenance, and repair, the Department strives to ensure adequate operating capacity and capability for all military hospitals in the areas of aviation medicine, diving and undersea medicine, tactical combat casualty care, and disaster medicine, to foster and sustain a more diverse and enriching healthcare environment for uniformed service members and civilians seeking care in military hospitals.