Wellahealth has reached a major milestone: over 2,000 active pharmacies in Nigeria now use the Wellapartner app, a digital platform designed to help pharmacies manage operations, serve patients, and connect to new revenue streams including health insurance.
In a country where pharmacy operations still rely heavily on manual processes, this marks a significant step forward for healthtech adoption in the retail pharmaceutical space.
But this growth wasn’t always guaranteed.
From a Simple Patient Management Tool to a Full-Service Platform
When Wellahealth first built WellaPartner in 2020, the goal was modest: to help pharmacies better manage patient data and medication histories. Over time, as the company deepened its partnerships with health insurance providers, it became clear that pharmacies needed more than just data tracking.
They needed a system to help them process claims, track refill customers, handle walk-in sales, send out SMS reminders, and more without switching between tools.
This led to the evolution of WellaPartner into a full-service pharmacy management platform. Today, it offers pharmacies:
- A digital interface to serve walk-in and insurance-backed patients
- Automated claims processing with faster payouts
- Tools to track patient history and medication schedules
- Support for customer engagement via SMS
- A dashboard to view performance, stock trends, and transactions
Overcoming Scepticism and Building Trust
Convincing pharmacies to adopt WellaPartner in the early days was a challenge.
According to Tomi Olusanya, Pharmacy Operations Lead at Wellahealth, “It was new, and many pharmacy owners were unsure about using a digital tool, especially one where most interactions with us would be virtual.”
There were also concerns about payment handling. Pharmacies were used to receiving cash or direct transfers and were hesitant to switch to an in-app payout system. But over time, as pharmacies began to see reliable payment processes and improved turnaround time with patients, confidence grew.
A key moment came around mid-2022, when the platform reached over 400 active pharmacies, many of whom began requesting new features, proof that they weren’t just using the platform, but valuing it.
Why Pharmacies Stick with WellaPartner
So, what’s driving continued growth?
According to Tomi, three things stand out:
- It solves a real operational problem for pharmacies: managing patients, processing claims, and handling payments more efficiently.
- The platform improves based on user feedback, with updates rolled out regularly.
- Pharmacies refer other pharmacies, creating a trusted growth channel.
Beyond insurance, Wellapartner is now used daily to manage routine sales, track refill customers, and send follow-up reminders, turning it into a tool pharmacies rely on to improve both service delivery and revenue.
Onboarding support includes:
- Initial virtual walkthroughs
- A physical training visit by the team
- Explainer videos and a dedicated in-app support chat
Key Lessons from Scaling the Platform
The growth wasn’t without trade-offs.
“We had to shelve some features we were excited about,” Tomi shares. “We realized some ideas were ahead of the market. So, we chose to focus on what pharmacies needed immediately; payment reliability, patient record tools, and real-time visibility.”
One of the toughest challenges was helping pharmacies trust the in-app payment feature. The team had to work closely with users to demonstrate the security, speed, and reliability of the system.
The Next Chapter: Financing, Training, and More
Wellahealth isn’t slowing down. The company is now working on new ways to deepen value for its pharmacy partners.
“Our mantra has always been to be the pharmacy’s best partner,” Tomi says. “And we’re just scratching the surface.”
In the coming months, the roadmap includes:
- Business financing solutions for eligible pharmacy partners
- Bespoke pharmacy training programs
- Expanded data tools to track performance and stock efficiency
Tomi believes that technology will continue to play a central role in pharmacy growth, especially as early adopters begin to show results. “We see pharmacy tech becoming more mainstream, and our goal is to help power that transformation across Nigeria’s healthcare system.”
Final Word
The journey from idea to 2,000 active pharmacies has been marked by continuous feedback, product iteration, and an unwavering focus on solving real problems for pharmacy operators.
Wellapartner isn’t just another SaaS tool, It’s helping shape what digitally enabled pharmacy care can look like in Nigeria. And for many of the pharmacies now on board, it’s already become indispensable.
