E-Pharmacy Will Be A Game-Changer For Pharmaceutical Care In Ghana-Veep
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia Wednesday launched the National Electronic Pharmacy Policy and Guidelines to ensure inclusive pharmaceutical care in the country.
It would also lead to full operationalisation of a digital platform for providing pharmaceutical services across the country next year.
The digitisation of pharmacies would have the nation’s pharmaceutical companies converged on one digital platform to address the difficulties of roaming and looking for medicines, ensure competitive pricing and sale of genuine medicines to the public.
The e-pharmacy platform aimed at addressing four key concerns of health system including reducing pharmacists to patient ratio, improve confidentiality of health information and privacy of patients’ medical records and minimising counterfeit and sub standard medication in the country.
Speaking at the launch in Accra, Vice-President Bawumia said leveraging on technology would re-imagine the delivery and overall management of pharmaceutical care and services in ways that improve access, efficiency and the availability of genuine medicines across the country.
Vice President Bawumia, two years ago, tasked the Pharmacy Council and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana to digitise the operations of pharmacies in the country in realising the government’s digitisation agenda.
“Today, we are here to launch a top tier innovation that will transform access to pharmaceutical care in Ghana, complementing the Government’s attempt to improve access to and delivery of health care to the near 30 million population.
“This innovation is dear to government. A few years ago, at the Annual General Meeting of Pharmacists, I threw a challenge to pharmacists.
Vice President Bawumia urged all pharmacists to continue their efforts in educating the public about the dangers of taking sub-standard and counterfeit medicines and curb and practice.