By Mercy Darko
A National Electronic Pharmacy Policy and Guidelines that will spearhead Ghana’s E-Pharmacy digital platform has been outdoored. The policies and guidelines outline the modalities on how the E-Pharmacy will operate from 2022.
Vice President Bawumia who launched the guidelines at a short ceremony in Accra said the E-Pharmacy initiative will bring on board pharmacies on one digital platform to enable the public access medicines online.
This he indicated will help address the challenge of scouting for medicines in pharmacies and promote competitive pricing while reducing the rate of drug abuse and the sale of fake drugs to unsuspecting members of the public.
He also called on the Pharmaceutical industry to deepen education on the implication of self-medication.
The Vice President at his recent digital economy public lecture on Ghana’s digitization policies revealed that steps are underway been to digitize the operations of pharmacies in Ghana.
The launch of the National Electronic Pharmacy Policy and guidelines therefore is to set the tone for this initiative to enable easy access to prescriptions.
Vice President Bawumia noted that the platform will be linked with the relevant agencies such the Foods and Drugs Authority, FDA to avoid the sales of Sub-Standard or expired goods.
The Deputy Registrar, Operations Pharmacy Council of Ghana, Dr. Daniel Danquah in a presentation outlined details of the E-Pharmacy policy and guidelines. He also touched on how this initiative will address challenges in the sector.
“Its a stepping stone to achieve the SDG on health”.
A Senior Manager, Government Affairs & Policy, East Africa at Johnson & Johnson Kwabena Asante Offei applauded government for the initiative.
“He said e-pharmacy has been a success in other countries and Ghana will not be an exception”.
An E-Pharmacy is a registered Retail Pharmacy that engages in the distribution or sale of medicines through an online Portal.