Millions of Indians are downloading apps and ordering
thousands of medicines online every day. Pharmacy in India is witnessing a
massive revolution since the last couple of years. Is it a good thing? Well,
like with most digital transformation, the answer will depend on whether you
ask an enthusiast or a sceptic. But one thing is certain: Without online or
e-pharmacy, Digital India cannot be a reality, in the truest sense of the term.
The Indian pharmaceuticals market, valued at $20
billion market in 2015, is expected to grow to $55 billion by 2020. As far as
the discovery, development and manufacturing of drugs is concerned, India is
counted among the forerunners across the globe. However, when it comes to
accessibility to quality drugs for the average Indian consumer, there’s a lot
to be desired.
Online pharmacies, which currently act as a
marketplace for offline medical stores, have the potential to bridge this healthcare
gap. Can e-pharmacy be a part of the Digital India campaign? From e-governance
to e-learning, the idea of the movement, after all, is to transform the country
into a digitally-empowered society.
Untapped
potential
Currently, there are about 50 online pharmacy
start-ups in India, who are revolutionising the way business is done, in an
industry that has been traditionally resistant to change. And the results, in
less than half a decade, have been heartening.
For starters, online pharmacies are making the process
of purchasing medicines not only more convenient (with on time delivery of
medicines at your doorstep) and economical but also more organised and
transparent. Whether it’s insisting on valid doctor’s prescription for
disbursing certain drugs, or even maintaining documentation of every
transaction, digitalisation of data is streamlining the distribution system and
making it more quality conscious. Over a period of time, the stored consumer
medical data can be useful in planning public health policies.
Apart from that, leading e-pharmacies are evolving
into holistic healthcare hubs that offer access to comprehensive information as
well as medical e-consultation services. In a country like India that has a
dismal ratio of 0.7 doctors per 1,000 people, online consultations with doctors
– for simple queries or second opinions – can be a real boon.
Need
of the hour
A boon can easily turn into a bane, without adequate
regulations. As of now, India doesn’t have a policy for online pharmacies. The
Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, only
provide guidelines for selling prescription drugs in the country.
Realising the need for a comprehensive policy that
governs online pharmacies in India, the Central Drugs Standard Control
Organisation (CDSCO) - regulator for pharmaceuticals and medical devices in
India - and the health ministry are believed to have set the ball rolling.
Perhaps, a list of accredited online pharmacies in India will be available in
the future.
As digital literacy continues to grow and people
demand transparent and economical ecosystems that deliver, traditional
pharmacies that want to stay relevant will be forced to evolve and have a
digital presence. In other words, inventory management systems, customer
records, etc will have to get digitized; regulatory compliance will become the
norm.
When pharmacy goes online and reaches the remotest
corners of the country, when access to healthcare and chronic disease
management become convenient, when public health policies get backed by sound
data, Digital India will no longer remain just a dream.
By Tushar Kumar (Tushar
Kumar is Founder at Medlife International Pvt Ltd.)
Source:
