MEET ARIANA
The pharmaceutical industry in Africa is booming with an enormous potential for growth and wealth. Since forever, there has been a need to access medicines for life-saving conditions and chronic diseases. Over population in the last millennium has increased the demand to sell medications at lower prices.
Sierra Leone has seen a surge in Pharmacies with untrained/ quack pharmacists. A worrisome trend which, health authorities are constantly battling with. This is very un-settling as we have all grown to trust the ‘white coat’ and everything with a label. How then do we distinguish fake medicines dispensed by quack pharmacists?
This is the reason why, we were excited to meet with Mrs. Saffie Barrie Akam a Sierra Leonean Pharmacist and owner of Everhealthy Pharmacy. Her focus is on delivering excellent and affordable pharmaceutical care for communities.
Saffie is a graduate from the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences and a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Sierra Leone. She is also a preceptor for the internship program for new Pharmacy graduates in the community practice setting.
Saffie worked for a year as an intern at Connaught hospital, City Pharmacy and the Central Medical Stores under a program coordinated by the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone. Then she was bitten by the entrepreneurship bug, which made her launch her own community pharmacy practice.
Ariana Diaries: Describe your company using 4 words only?
SAFFIE: Everhealthy Pharmacy can be described with the following four words: patient oriented, caring, professional and reliable.
Ariana Diaries: What innovative solution(s) are you bringing to your industry?
SAFFIE: A year before opening Everhealthy Pharmacy, I had an asthma attack at night. Unfortunately for me I had no refill for my medications, the pharmacies were closed. I managed to get through the night anxiously waiting for day break so I could send someone to get an inhaler for me. At 7:30 am, they went to the pharmacy but unfortunately none were open.
We had to wait till 9:00 am to be able to access the medication. It was then that, it occurred to me that, there are many patients going through the same thing. My outlet was designed to solve this problem. We start at 7.30 am and close at 11:00pm.
The goal is to ensure that it would be patient oriented rather than making loads of profit. We hope that this style of working would support a healthy lifestyle as people would have access to reliable quality and affordable pharmaceutical care.
Ariana Diaries: Describe how you felt when you had your first paying customer?
SAFFIE: The pay from my first customer made me very excited and grateful to God, for giving me an opportunity to serve others. It made me realise that, anything can be achieved through perseverance.
Ariana Diaries: What do you think is the biggest challenge for entrepreneurs in Africa and why?
SAFFIE: What I would consider as the biggest challenge for entrepreneurship in Africa would be limited access to resources (especially financial)
Ariana Diaries: How do you define business success?
SAFFIE: Success in business is having patients come back with testimonies of how we supported them through their illnesses.
Ariana Diaries: If you were to start all over again, what would be your first priority in terms of set up?
SAFFIE: Starting over again, I would lay more emphasis on expanding my range of products.
Ariana Diaries: What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
SAFFIE: I am working toward establishing a high standard pharmaceutical empire through which millions of lives can be touched.
Bravo Saffie Barrie Akam!! This is just the beginning and we are very proud of you.
Please where and how can i get unto her, have been looking for Oriflame products to buy here in Sierra Lone, all to no avail. I always get them from Lagos?
You can go to Aberdeen Road ‘Old Market’, as it is called. EverHealthy Pharmacy is right opposite the ‘Old Market’.
Everhealthy pharmacy is at Aberdeen, opposite foodland supermarket
You can reach us at 8 Sir Samuel Lewis Road. Opposite foodland supermarket
Great initiative..location please
You can reach us at 8 Sir Samuel Lewis Road, Aberdeen. Opposite foodland supermarket. Everhealthy Pharmacy
Everhealthy Pharmacy is the best in Sierra Leone I’m a testimony. Quality drugs and services they give to their patients. Pharm Saffie Barrie-Akam and her staffs are always welcoming by making their customers needs theirs.
Everhealthy pharmacy is on Sir Samuel Lewis road , Aberdeen. Right opposite food land supermarket.
This is wonderful! I have no doubt Pharm. Mrs. Barrie-Akam will continue to do exploit in the field of pharmacy. Thank you for this Ariana
Wonderful and impressive Saffie Barrie Akam!! The sky is you limit.
Great innovation! The sky is your limit Pharm Saffie because wth God you can do all things
Proud of you Fifi and thank you Ariana