Technology

Surgeon tests app to deliver drugs from chemists

surgeon

Manager Mohamed Jama (L), Pharmaken Limited Marketing Director Leonard Muriuki Njeru (C) and Pharmaken Limited CEO Dr Samier Muravvej (R). PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NMG

In 2015, Samier Muravvej, a dental surgeon, thought up an idea of using technology to get medicine to patients.

He began working with an independent team of professional developers in July 2016. The pilot was launched in Mombasa in April, it will be launched in Nairobi on June 8.

“I wanted to leverage on technology to provide convenience to users. Medicine is a commodity, people need it on a daily basis. Being a doctor and having a pharmaceuticals company gave me the insight I used to develop the logic behind the app. The problem the app solves is of connecting the user or a patient that wants to buy medicine now,” says Dr Muravvej.

The app dubbed Livia gives users the convenience of ordering medicines through their mobile phones, and having them delivered to their doorstep. “Through Livia,” says Dr Muravvej, “patients or users can order prescribed and over-the-counter medicines, and any item sold at a chemist’s near them, at the best price. Users can collect the medicine themselves or have the chemist’s deliver it.”

Users ordering a prescription will be prompted to take a photo of the details and upload the image before ordering.

“The same things that a pharmacist would do to validate a prescription physically, at the counter, are the same things he’d do to validate it digitally,” says Dr Muravvej.

Dr Muravvej and his field team vet a chemist before signing them up as Livia Partner Chemists.

The vetting includes ascertaining that, among other documents, the chemist’s has a valid licence from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, and the pharmacist in charge has a practicing certificate.

Dr Muravvej says that 740 orders have been processed and delivered through the app.

There have been 541 downloads of the app. 40 LPCs are actively using the pilot of the app, including Haltons Pharmacy, Goldmed Pharmacy Limited, Goldmed Pharmacy Limited and others.

According to Dr Muravvej , the app will be rolled out to Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda and Zambia in the next six months.