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Technology as an enabler to the implementation of Good Pharmacy Practice

In light of the current pandemic, the importance of a well-functioning pharmaceutical services sector cannot be overstated, especially in developing societies such as South Africa. “We have well defined and documented healthcare regulations,” says Praba Moonsamy, Managing Director of Pietermaritzburg based Ikhaya Automation (Pty) Ltd. “One of which is the “Good Pharmacy Practice Manual” from 2004 published by the South African Pharmacy council.”

“This manual makes specific reference to the transport and storage of thermolabile pharmaceutical products. It states that storage areas must be temperature mapped and that temperature monitoring equipment installed. Temperature readings need to be recorded twice a day and reviewed daily. The storage area should be connected to an alarm system that generates a warning if the temperature threshold is breached.”

All this is to protect the pharmaceutical products being stored, and ultimately the patient that will need the medication.

 

As we find ourselves in the midst of the 4th Industrial Revolution, the pharmaceutical sector benefits from the constant advancements in technology and a wide ecosystem of technology providers. This results in a reduction in the cost of the electronic solutions that assist the pharmacist in meeting the required compliance requirements.

Technology that was deemed too expensive a few years ago, is now well within reach even for small pharmacies and community clinics,” continues Moonsamy

To date, many establishments in the healthcare sector still use manual methods for temperature recording, record keeping and regular review. This can lead to inaccuracies and potential errors, but it also takes valuable time and distracts the pharmacist from his core focus.

 

In today’s competitive world, where we are all required to work at maximum efficiency, we need to embrace technology to assist with mundane routine tasks such as temperature readings and record keeping.

Modern technology now allows for automatic temperature reading in a minute by minute intervals, automatic data analysis, automatic data upload and electronic data storage for the legally defined 5-year timespan. The convenience that this technology can bring means that the pharmacist will receive advance notice of any temperature deviation long before the legislated threshold is reached, anywhere in the world and on any device such as mobile phones, tablets or notebook computers. The convenience of being connected at all times to the temperature sensors in the fridge means that the pharmacists can react proactively to any variation, thus avoiding expensive stock losses and maintaining the required quality standard. Ikhaya’s solutions offer multipoint alert settings that are proactive and notify personnel long before a critical point is reached

“As the Greek Philosopher, Heraclitus once said: “The only constant in life is change”, telling us to recognise that our way of living and doing business changes all the time. We need to embrace this concept and constantly ask ourselves if the way we live and work is still the most effective. The one who does not critically question yesterday’s way of life and adapts accordingly will be left behind by those who do,” concludes Moonsamy.

A pharmacy should ensure they have system systems in place to monitor the temperature of the interior to preserve the life of all medicine and vaccines

About Ikhaya Automation (Pty) Ltd

Ikhaya Automation (Pty) Ltd is a proudly South African technology company, based in Pietermaritzburg, that develops and manufacturers a range of products for the real-time monitoring of temperature and humidity.

The company is headquartered in Pietermaritzburg and is a level 2 B-BBEE contributor with offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Ikhaya has been supplying products into numerous industries such as pharmaceutical, health, agriculture, food production, research, retail and transport since 2008. The flagship product, the Vaccine monitor VM 1000, has attained global approval from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and has been supplied to many destinations in Africa, Asia and Europe.

Ikhaya’s products are purposefully designed and built to withstand the tough environment as found in the emerging markets of Africa and Asia and provide many years of uninterrupted operations.

Our feature-rich and powerful cloud-based software provides full remote control and configuration capabilities including the ability to upgrade the device software remotely. The system generates several configurable SMS and email alerts in the event of temperature or humidity fluctuations as well as power outages or door openings. The system provides an easy to use the dashboard of key system parameters and generates daily, weekly and monthly detailed reports with user-configurable data graphs. All data is stored securely on our redundant and always available server infrastructure for five years for audit and verification purposes.

When choosing a locally based supplier and a locally developed product, our customers can leverage from the following benefits:

1) Products are priced in the local currency, and prices are stable and not subject to fluctuations based on the volatility of the Rand against global currencies.

2) Product supply from the factory is guaranteed and not subject to external delays in the freight, logistics or import clearance process. Ikhaya maintains significant stock holdings as part of our commitment to our market.

3) All intellectual property is locally held and our product experience and expertise over 12 years is locally available, thus we can offer faster and superior support.

4) We can react fast and dynamically to any change requests which our clients require from our solution portfolio

5) Our product can be integrated with third-party systems such as fleet management systems or Enterprise resource planning systems.

Our high-quality product, superior service and dedication to customer requirements has allowed Ikhaya to steadily grow its market share since 2008. Our large installed base of thousands of units across Southern Africa as well as many endorsements received from clients means that the firm is well-positioned in an increasingly competitive industry.

Ikhaya continually reinvests into the advancement and improvement of its products and services. We ensure that our state of the art hardware and software is continuously upgraded to stay abreast with the latest trends in modern technology. To provide solutions to the full spectrum of market demand, the firm has developed a range of product solutions and optional configurations.

But the focus of our offering is not just limited to the technology that we supply, and Ikhaya has realised that in order be successful, commercial flexibility is required to suit the budget limitations of its clients. Therefore, the firm has designed a range of purchase or rental options thus allowing the market to align themselves within the revenue capabilities of their own business.

For more information contact:

Praba Moonsamy, Managing Director on Tel: 0861 111 105 or Mobile: 082 940 3058
Eckart Zollner Marketing Executive Tel: 0861 111 105 or Mobile: 082 990 3460