New Delhi, September 04, 2016: The past year, India saw the launch of 31 start-ups that dealt exclusively in online pharmacies. According to start-up data tracker Tracxn, the e-pharmacy sector had attracted $92.6 million in funding with over $70 million obtained in 2015 alone. This shows the immense potential of technology in the health sector and how start-ups are tapping this potential to improve healthcare services in the country. Just like e-health insurance or e-diagnostics, e-pharmacy is part of online health.
Online pharmacies have changed the global pharmaceutical distribution chain quite significantly. India has witnessed several challenges in the pharmaceutical sector and successive governments found it difficult to put an end to the rampant circulation of counterfeit medicines that risked the lives of many.
With the introduction of technology in this sector, it is now possible to create a more systematic platform wherein it is possible to trace back all medicines to the manufacturers. The logs can be accessed by the government in order to track an illegal drug consignment, helping the crackdown on counterfeit medicines. Digital prescriptions are not only convenient and safe but also restricts drug abuse, discourages self medication, quacks and alternate medical practitioners. E-pharmacies have made it easier to track down medicines that are of unsatisfactory quality. This helps people from buying low quality drugs that can have severe health implications if consumed.
While online pharmacies have helped to generate data for government to monitor public health and has also revolutionized the way consumers access healthcare, the lack of proper regulatory and implementation boosting mechanisms are proving to be a bane for the growth of e-health.
Corporate Comm India(CCI Newswire)
