Advantage Health Africa, project managers for CPN Nexus – the largest aggregator of independent retail pharmacies in Nigeria, endorsed by the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) and the Association of Community Pharmacies of Nigeria (ACPN) – partners with a health management organization, Health Assur Ltd to announce the launch of HMO Enrolee Local Pharmacy Pick-Up Programme aka. Project HELPPP.
Launched on April 1st, 2018, Project HELPPP is an Access to Market initiative which enables enrolees with prescription slips from their various assigned hospitals walk into the matched participating member pharmacies to get their prescription filled. There are over 650 Community Pharmacies in the CPN Nexus, and growing!
This partnership creates an opportunity for growth that will facilitate for both higher profitability and stronger customer relations. It is further strengthened by the vision of providing excellent pharmaceutical care to enrolees. Thus, improving treatment outcomes and reducing incidences of therapeutic failure.
“Collaboration is the way to get ahead, the way to reach a wider audience, the way to strengthen propositions, indeed, it gives you the louder voice you need to influence policy… and this is what we are about”, said Abimbola Adebakin, CEO of Advantage Health Africa who is a pharmacist and a Certified Performance Technologist.
Without a doubt, collaboration is a powerful vehicle to amplify the reach of resources and thereby effectiveness and impact. Health Assur and Advantage Health Africa are championing a cause that is very welcome in the health sector.
Dr Kelong Alkali, the Chairman of the ACPN, commenting on Project HELPPP says, “I am excited about this new innovative collaborative practice between the HMOs and community pharmacies and also the impact it will have on retail pharmacy practice and growth for our members”. This initiative aligns with the call of the Chairman of NHIS Governing Council, Dr. Enyantu Ifenne, who has called for the next phase of health insurance that “places the enrolee at the top of the value chain”.
The CEO of HealthAssur Ltd, Dr Tinu Akinbolagbe, further reiterates by saying “HealthAssur is dedicated to providing leading and exemplary service in the administration of healthcare benefits through a culture of service excellence, innovation, accountability and responsiveness. This is the mission statement of HealthAssur and we intend to see it impact this through various partnerships such as this”.
Expressing her joy, Dr Rakiya Oseni, pharmacist, CEO of Wellrose Pharmacy and an active member of CPN Nexus said, “We are glad to be among the first to be a part of this progressive movement! Kudos to the team!”
The drive for universal coverage is possible with alliances such as this between the aggregation of pharmacies and HMOs, which is aimed at harnessing the technological revolution being experienced in Nigeria to speed up progress on the third, eighth and ninth United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3, SDG 8 and SDG 9). The future is here, the future is now!
For more information, visit, www.advantagehealthafrica.com, www.cpnnexus.com, and www.healthassur.com
