Three years after Ghana launched its electronic pharmacy platform (e-pharmacy), the Federal Government of Nigeria has now embraced the technology.
Former Vice President, Dr Bawumia, whose office collaborated with the Pharmacy Council of Ghana and other stakeholders, launched the digital e-pharmacy platform for Ghana in 2022 to ensure transparent medicine dispensing mechanisms and also lessen the difficulties in searching for medicine to buy from one place to another.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has now emulated Ghana’s lead by launching a similar electronic platform in Abuja.
Speaking during the launch, Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, said launching the platform marked a significant step in healthcare delivery in the country.
Today marks a bold step forward in our collective mission to modernise healthcare delivery and ensure that every Nigerian has access to safe, affordable, and quality-assured medicines, no matter where they live.”
“The NEPP is our strategic response. It provides a clear, enforceable framework for the regulation of electronic pharmacy services in Nigeria. It ensures that innovation does not come at the expense of safety.
“With this policy, we are setting the foundation for a nationally coordinated e-pharmacy ecosystem that is transparent, secure, and patient-centred.
“It establishes licensing and accreditation standards for digital pharmacy platforms, enables real-time monitoring and traceability of pharmaceutical products, improves access to essential medicines—especially in underserved and remote communities,” he said.
Ghana has been hailed as a model for digital initiatives on the African continent, with a number of African countries coming over to understudy many of Ghana’s digital interventions, such as the national digital identity system and delivery of essential medical supplies through drones, among others.