Wellness Medical Distribution launches online integrative marketplace, Pharmacentre
L-R: Pharm. Lawrence Ekhator, ACPN Chairman, Lagos State; Dr. Obadere Peter, Co-Founder, Digital Encode Limited; Pharm. Adetutu Afolabi, MD/CEO, Wellness Healthcare Group and Founder, Pharmacentre; Prof. Cyril Usifo, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria National President; Pharm. Victor Gbenga Afolabi, CEO, Hazon Holdings; Dr. (Mrs.) Ukamaka Okafor, Director, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, Lagos State; and Pharm. Iyiola Gbolagade, Chairman, PSN, Lagos State Chapter
Wellness Medical Distribution launched its online integrative marketplace for pharmaceutical products, to enable ease of access to quality medicines and medical supplies in Nigeria, on the 20th of April, 2022.
Over 253,000 deaths happen yearly in Nigeria, due to insufficient access to quality healthcare. While a good number of these casualties come from inadequate health systems, others stem from little or no access to medicines. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, however, major disruptions have visited pharmacy markets globally, through the power of technology and online commerce, in a bid to facilitate easier and safer access to drugs, for all.
As such, getting medicines online affords consumers the benefit of quick, easy, convenient, and private access to medical needs, with the click of a mouse.
As part of its dedicated efforts to improve access to quality healthcare in the country, Wellness Medical Distribution has launched its online integrative marketplace for pharmaceutical products. The launch event was held on the 20th of April, 2022, with top dignitaries in the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria in attendance.
Pharmacentre is an online platform that enables licensed medical professionals to sell quality medical products to businesses and consumers alike. As an integrative marketplace, Pharmacenter integrates consumer-facing (business to consumer selling) and provider-facing (business to business selling) models.
Through its interactive and easy-to-use platform, Pharmacentre will leverage the huge stock of pharmaceutical products from different licensed pharma merchants to supply to online consumers/businesses via e-orders, as well as serve as a link between consumers and existing physical pharmacies. Pharmacentre stands to be the one-stop-shop for quality and accessible medical supplies.
Speaking during the launch of the platform, Mrs. Adetutu Afolabi, the Group MD/CEO of Wellness Medical Distribution, says:
“Today’s world is filled with uncertainty, broken infrastructure, and numerous supply chain challenges. As affordability and accessibility to pharmaceutical supplies when needed, in Nigeria, has become a strong pain point, having a value-driven platform like Pharmacentre that enhances collaboration amongst pharmacists and other healthcare providers will improve the well-being of our people.”
“Nobody should be left stranded because they do not have a pharmacist in their network.” Corroborating his view, National president, Pharmaceutical Companies in Nigeria, Prof Cyril Usifo, described the Pharmacentre initiative as a right step in the right direction, noting that one would be overtaken by technology if not embraced.
Corroborating his view, National president, Pharmaceutical Companies in Nigeria, Prof Cyril Usifo, described the Pharmacentre initiative as a right step in the right direction, noting that one would be overtaken by technology if not embraced.
He said that the platform would not only create a common meeting place for Pharmacists and other stakeholders to get what they needed, but it would also facilitate tracking of adulterated drugs within the space.
In her remarks, the Director in –charge of Pharmacist Council of Nigeria, Lagos Zonal Office, Dr Ukamaka Okafor, stated that Pharmacentre would absorb a lot of problems of community pharmacists.
She stated that recently, the council launched an online pharmacy regulation that would assist young pharmacists who could not afford the infrastructure needed to host online platforms.
Pharmacentre: Accessing medical products with ease and convenience
Many persons, within the country, battling chronic health conditions or having challenges in accessing traditional pharmacy services search for relevant platforms for access to quality medical products. While a number of e-platforms in Nigeria exist to cater to this need, there are still very significant gaps in linkages between all points of the pharmaceutical supply chain. Also, a bulk of these existing platforms are largely consumer-facing and do not seamlessly solve the need for pharmacies looking to stock medical supplies as well.
The Pharmacentre platform, however, enables users to either register as individuals or businesses. Registered users are further required to indicate if they would be interacting on the platform as a customer or as a vendor. However, only licensed vendors are authenticated to sell on the marketplace.
Through the platform, users, whether as individuals or businesses, will be able, not only to get quality medicines from licensed vendors but also be able to get these delivered conveniently to their doorsteps, with the least hassle. Using the ‘Talk to a Pharmacist’ feature as well, users on the platform can easily get first-hand recommendations and prescriptions from licensed pharmacists before purchasing drugs online.
Vendors on the platform get to benefit from the ease of listing their medical products on the platform, thereby, broadening the visibility of their business and brand. They also get to track how their products are faring via real-time marketing reports/dashboards showing sales on the platform. Vendors likewise are able to run promotions on the platform to market their products to a wider viewership as well as flexibly offer discounts on their products.
The platform offers a great opportunity for all stakeholders within the pharmaceutical space to operate effectively and collaboratively towards the goal of enhancing access to medical supplies and products. At the heart of this objective, is the overarching interest in improving health and wellness, a primary motivation for the parent company, Wellness Healthcare Group.
Early this year, Wellness HMO, launched its mobile app, Wellness Plus, to revolutionize healthcare service delivery in Nigeria. The mobile app affords users the power to choose health and wellness for themselves, through options to request healthcare services, and monitor their health, from the comfort of their homes. Wellness Healthcare Group is committed to providing good and affordable healthcare to all, through its robust innovative healthcare solutions.
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