Ghana's e-pharmacy platform goes live

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has announced that the Ghana National Electronic Pharmacy Platform (GNEPP) has been activated and gone live from today, Tuesday, 3 January 2023.

In 2019, Dr Bawumia challenged the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana to take steps in ensuring that Pharmacy services are digitized through the introduction of a national scale e-pharmacy platform.

The Pharmacy Council took up the challenge with coordination from the office of the Vice President and Dr Bawumia successfully launched the GNEPP in July 2022.

“After, a successful pilot, I am delighted that today, the GNEPP goes live and Ghana becomes the first country in Africa and one of only a few countries in the world with an operational national scale e-pharmacy platform,” Dr Bawumia announced via Facebook.

Explaining how the e-pharmacy works. Dr Bawumia said “with GNEPP, after registering with your Ghanacard, any prescription can be uploaded onto the platform via mobile phone through https://www.gnepplatform.com/ (or through a USSD code).

"You can find which pharmacies close to you have the medicines and compare the prices of the medicines across different pharmacies. Using your mobile phone, you can order the medicine, pay for it, and have it delivered at home through your digital address or pick it up. You can also be sure that the drugs are not fake because the GNEPP platform is integrated with the FDA platform.”

“With the National Electronic Pharmacy Platform, Ghana will be part of the new pharmaceutical digital economy to boost pharmaceutical sales and generate revenue. GNEPP will also result in less ‘Wahala’ for Ghanaians in the pharmacy space,” he added.

Dr Bawumia expressed his appreciation to the Minister for Health, the Pharmacy Council, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, the NHIA, FDA, Medical and Dental Council, HeFRA, Ghana Nursing and Midwifery Council, Allied Health Professions Council, and the private sector partners for their leadership in making this possible for Ghana.

He described the e-pharmacy as a major feat.