FDA launches Med Safety App to improve health care delivery

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has launched a Med Safety App to improve services in the health sector.

The Authority says the app will among other things provide a two-way communication or consumers and health professionals.

The App, which will allow users to report side effects of medicines, medical products and vaccines, will serve as a database for pertinent information on safety.

Speaking at the launch of the App, Chief Executive Officer for the Food and Drugs Authority, Delese Mimi Darko said the intervention will help to actively involve patients in the post-approval of medical products process.

According to her, this will ensure that marketed products are safe and effective.

“Since Ghana joined the world health organization program for international drug monitoring in November 2001, the FDA has introduced a number of initiatives to promote and improve patient safety. The FDA has as a result of these innovations improved reporting of ADRs and increased reporting from 95 in 2015 to over three thousand-seven hundred in 2018.”

“The Med Safety App is now our newest and fastest way to report safety issues of medical products to promote patient safety anytime and anywhere because we always have our phones with us. It is also a known fact that Apps are 1.5 times faster than mobile websites and perform actions faster too. It reduces the cost for our consumers from text messages and phone calls, we can instantly, directly and securely message our clients.”

The Chief Executive further urged citizens to download and use the app so healthcare nationwide will improve.

“This app is not only for reporting. You also receive feedback on reports submitted and news articles on the safety of medicines and other health products. The App will again reduce our paper cost,” she added.

On his part, the Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman- Manu said the launch of the App was in line with government’s embrace of the use of technology in the health sector.

“It is the right timing for FDA to launch the mobile app for reporting side effects of medicines by healthcare professionals and the general public to further promote its mandate of ensuring safe use of medicines.

“The Food and Drugs Authority has the arduous task to ensure that the food we eat and drugs we take are safe, efficacious and of good quality. Aside all the laborious approval processes, adverse reactions or side effects could occur from the use of medicines which may not be because the medicines are of poor quality, but possibly due to the mechanism of action of the medicine or even individual characteristics of the person taking the medicine. The FDA, therefore, needs to collect and analyze information with regards to the continuous marketing of these products.”

Source: Citinewsroom