Should my QMS include a business continuity plan (BCP) or contingency plan?

Yes, a mature QMS should include a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) to address unexpected events that may interrupt your critical operations. Such events may include natural disasters (such as a typhoon causing a power failure), fire, serious IT system failures, the collapse of a key supplier or the warehouse becoming unusable. The core purpose of a BCP is to identify these risks in advance and establish an action plan to ensure that critical products and services can continue to be provided at a predetermined, acceptable level during a crisis. This is particularly important for medicine wholesalers, as an interruption to medicine supply may directly affect patient treatment. The plan should include an emergency command structure, internal and external communication arrangements, data backup and recovery procedures, and arrangements for alternative facilities or suppliers.