‘Universal health coverage only possible with thriving retail pharmacies’

Chief Executive Officer, Vanguard Pharmacy, Mr Taofik Odukoya, says ensuring universal access to health is only attainable when retail pharmacy shops in Nigeria thrive and can provide all day long services and quality medicines.

Mr Odukoya, who spoke at the opening of Vanguard Pharmacy, a one-stop-shop for pharmacy, veterinary and supermarket in Ibadan, said access to quality medicines at different hours of the day is actually a big challenge, even in major cities in Nigeria and a gap that retail pharmacy shops must fill to boost healthcare services.

He said: “What happens to people that need access to healthcare late at night and at very early hours in the morning? So, for the Vanguard Pharmacy business, we make sure that we don’t just open to cover the major part of the day, we also ensure that the business is available all year round.”

Odukoya, an entrepreneur with a chain of pharmacy stores in the country, stated that making quality medication available all round the clock has been enhanced through technology, including the social media platforms.

He added: “We have been able to take medications to locations that you wouldn’t imagine, even to people’s hospital’s beds at the best prices possible. They only need to order it across our different social media platforms.

“Despite the challenges posed by the various waves of COVID-19, we are still able to deliver on this target while creating smart health benefits for people to succeed and thrive.”

He, however, challenged the indigenous players in the pharmaceutical retail space and supermarket business to continue to seize the opportunity that exists to create direct and indirect jobs for the teeming population.

In her remarks, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Vanguard Pharmacy, Mrs Kawthar Odukoya, challenged the federal government to do more infrastructural development and education and also tax harmonisation to ease the burden on entrepreneurs in the country.

The Head of Pharmacy Business, Pharmacist Adedoyin Osho, also said the pharmacy outlet is another giant step towards the actualisation of the company’s transformation plan to “create smart health benefits for people to succeed and thrive”.

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