S2 Episode 19: Affordable, efficient, sustainable access to healthcare, with Thuria Webnar of e-Pharmacy

This is conversation number 10 with a business in the 2021 cohort of the ‘AI for Social Impact Programme’ – a partnership between Social Tech Trust and Microsoft for Startups. who are supporting purpose driven ventures using technology to make a positive impact on people’s lives.   

This week, we’re looking at another side of Healthtech which has dramatically escalated as a result of the pandemic, and that’s digital healthcare provision – and by that I mean providing healthcare services and solutions online. In some areas, online access and provision has been somewhat enforced by the threat of Covid-19, but as we hopefully get back to normality, the ability to deliver services online, relieve pressure and reduce costs in the NHS is hugely important.  

The online pharmacy is a key part of this. The direct-to-consumer model, properly regulated, saves a lot of time, money and paper by providing healthcare products and prescription services much more efficiently. My guest business is e-Pharmacy, the UK’s sustainable online pharmacy, which was founded back in the pre-Covid days of 2017, by a doctor and a pharmacist who were driven by improved patient care. 

I’m delighted to be speaking to e-Pharmacy’s CEO and co-founder, Threya Wenbar, who is still a practising A&E doctor despite leading a rapidly-growing business with her husband and co-founder Oskar. She graduated from the University of East Anglia in 2017 and has recently won the Natwest Everywoman Award for female entrepreneurship.