Mobile-based business-to-business platform for the pharmaceutical industry in Tanzania

Abstract

The right to the uppermost attainable standard of health is a fundamental human right. In everyday life, mobile phones have become essential devices for most people in both developed and developing countries. Paper-based ordering of medicines in the pharmaceutical industry is time consuming and can enhance the spread of diseases such as COVID-19. Electronic ordering and stock management can solve these challenges, but while it has been widely adopted in developed countries, it remains underused in Tanzania. This study aimed to develop a mobile application (DawaFasta) and web application which links wholesale and retail pharmacies in Tanzania, to support electronic ordering and stock management. System and user requirements were collected through questionnaires, interviews and observations from 105 wholesale and retail pharmacies in Arusha, Dar es salaam and Kilimanjaro regions of Tanzania. The developed applications were evaluated for acceptability and usability by 9 wholesale and 15 retail pharmacy personnel to assess serviceability and usefulness. The results show that 96% found it very useful. The main reason is to bridge the gap between wholesale and retail pharmacies and provide easy access to medications. The 4% were not sure because they were unable to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate online pharmacies. The application was assessed as having good usability for online pharmacy business purposes by wholesale and retail pharmacies. This application would need further development in order to raise awareness and add more features