This is a first in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Ghanaian authorities. They officially launched their e-Pharmacy project on December 22, 2021. Operational in 2022, according to a press release from the Ghanaian presidency, the digital platform will bring together all pharmacies in the country. The approach is supposed to make it possible to fight against “the proliferation of fake drugs, because there will be a link with the Food and Drugs Authority database (which approves the marketing of pharmaceutical products, Editor’s note) “, “control” the operations of pharmacies that do not have a license, “reduce disparities in the cost of drugs and (of) tackle some of the major administrative and delivery issues “ facing pharmacies, said Ghanaian Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
In other words, summed up the latter in a tweet, e-Pharmacy will allow Ghanaians “to access prescribed drugs in a convenient and cost-effective manner” and “to avoid fake drugs”.
I will be launching Ghana’s Nationwide e-Pharmacy tomorrow morning. This will help every Ghanaian access prescribed medicines conveniently and cost effectively as well as avoid fake medicines. pic.twitter.com/mjCmdDRvD1
– Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia (@MBawumia) December 21, 2021
The pilot version of the project currently brings together “45 pharmacies”said Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on December 22. Ghanaians, more than thirty million people, will soon be able to download their prescriptions using their mobile phones, locate the pharmacies closest to their homes, choose the one that offers them the best prices, order and receive medicines at home. A small revolution when we know that buying drugs, sometimes obtained at a high price, can be a matter of shipping. “It is disheartening to see people spending so much time going from pharmacy to pharmacy looking for drugs,” regretted the Ghanaian vice-president at the launch of the platform.
e-Pharmacy will also make it possible to limit drug abuse, in particular for products such as tramadol. Addiction to this painkiller, which is not on the list of controlled substances in the country and whose use is largely diverted, has become a scourge. Ghanaians use it to be sexually enduring, to stay awake long hours and perform well at work or just like a drug. For this medication, the user will receive a “unique code” by SMS for his prescription when using e-Pharmacy.
In addition to the impact on public health, the digitization of Ghanaian pharmacies also has an economic dimension. According to Dr Bawumia, the e-commerce of medicines “is worth around $ 81 billion today and is expected to grow to $ 244 billion by 2027 “. With e-Pharmacy, “Ghana will be part of this new digital pharmaceutical economy”, hopes the vice-president who cited the example of India. The experience of this country shows “that the national electronic pharmacy is likely to increase sales of pharmaceuticals by 100-200%. It is therefore a win-win project for all “, he concluded.