Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia Monday unveiled Ghana’s first National Electronic Pharmacy Platform (NEPP) to facilitate cost-effective sale and secure access to medications and pharmaceutical services for consumers electronically, nationwide.
The e-pharmacy platform was developed by the Pharmacy Council of Ghana in collaboration with other health regulatory agencies.
It is designed to ensure subscribers have an unlimited access to online Pharmacies and Pharmacists for medicine purchase or enquiry, and a courier service to deliver medications within a limited time frame to individuals who make requests.
The backbone interconnectivity platform creates a web of relationships among several stakeholders including consumers, pharmacies, pharmacists, doctors and regulatory authorities.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo launched the E-Pharmacy Policy on December 22 last year, and tasked stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry to design a platform to facilitate online purchasing of medicines and access to pharmaceutical services to rid of counterfeit medicines sold electronically.
At the inauguration of the e-pharmacy platform in Accra, Vice President Bawumia said, in this era of fourth industrial revolution, no country could transform its economy without leveraging on digital technology.
“You must all remember that you cannot transform an economy with brick and mortar. You can only transform an economy with ideas, systems, and institutions,” Dr Bawumia added.
The Vice President underscored the need for Ghana to take advantage of the global digital economy worth $11.5 trillion, representing 15.5 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP).
He added that the global e-pharmacy market was estimated at $52 billion at the end of 2021 and expected to grow by an annual compound rate of 19.5 per cent from 2022 to 2030 and said when the nation took advantage of it would accelerate Ghana’s economic growth and job creation.
The Vice-President noted that the platform would be integrated into other health ecosystem in the country to ensure safe, secure and transparent dispensing of medicines and pharmaceutical services.
The NEPP had also been linked to the Food and Drugs Authority’s database to authenticate medicines requested by applicants to promote confidentiality and public safety, Dr Bawumia stated.
He lauded the Pharmacy Council of Ghana, Governing Board of the Pharmacy Council and all stakeholders involved in the Nobel initiative for the yeoman’s job and called for an effective monitoring mechanism to avoid any potential abuse.
“The NEPP will help monitor the activities of unlicensed online pharmacies, improve the pharmacist-patient ratio and facilitate pharmaceutical service delivery,” Dr Bawumia said.
“This I believe will among other things address four key concerns in the provision of pharmacy services; reduction in the sale of unlicensed medicines, ensuring confidentiality of health information, privacy of patients’ medical records, and minimizing counterfeit and sub-standard medication in the country,” Dr Bawumia stated.
The idea of having an integrated electronic pharmacy platform for the regulation and availability of medication online is a developing conversation in many countries. Beyond the immediate need to improve patient access to pharmaceutical services and public safety, there is also an economic benefit that is yet to be tapped,” he added.
The government finds this platform not only important in linking patients to the approved licensed Pharmacies, registered pharmacists, and critical pharmaceutical services, but also a critical innovation in safeguarding the future of our youth, providing avenues for job creation, and digital startup business innovations and economic growth, Dr Bawumia pointed out.
The Vice President gave the assurance that the Government was committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure the highest standards in the practice of pharmacy by ensuring that pharmaceutical service providers had the right qualification, practice in accordance with set standards and accessible to the whole population.
“Our interest as a government in digitalization stems from the fact that in the fourth industrial revolution, the future is digital.
“Digitalization helps us to reduce bureaucracy and corruption in the delivery of public services
Increase efficiency in the delivery of public and private services, Reduce the cost of doing business, make life easier for citizens by solving problems faced by Ghanaians by digital platforms,” Dr Bawumia stated.
“This is a wonderful day for Ghana, and we should all be justifiably proud. It has taken a lot of challenging work by everyone involved.
“Ghana is the first country in Africa and one of only a few in the world to launch a national scale electronic pharmacy platform with all licensed pharmacies required to be a part of it and linked to the FDA,” the Vice-President stated.
Mrs Doris Fosu-Hemaa Addae-Afoakwa, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Ghana Pharmacy Council, who chaired the event, said the NEPP would ensure an affordable and competitive pricing for medications and provide an alternative drug administration in Ghana.
Interested people can log on: www. gneppatform.com to register to purchase authorized medicines, make enquiries or seek pharmaceutical services.
GNA