Dubai: A new pharmacy app will enable patient’s medication delivered home in under an hour at no extra service charge, it was announced at Arab Health 2018 on Wednesday.
Elaborating on how the system works, Dr Azad Moopen, chairman and founder of Aster DM Healthcare group, told Gulf News: “The way it will work is that when a doctor gives a prescription, the patient can upload the picture of the prescription and other verification documents like Emirates ID and health insurance (card). Our call centre will process it, get approvals, get your location so the nearest Aster pharmacy to your home is able to deliver it within 60 minutes.”
The online pharmacy which is a pilot project is already functioning in Dubai and residents can download the app. The Ministry of Health and Prevention is likely to approve it for application throughout pharmacies in the UAE soon.
The pharmacy will be able to process online requests for over the counter (OTC) and prescription medicines only. The facility is not available for controlled medicines as of now,
The patient can pay online or pay cash on delivery.
“In case of the insurance not approving the medication or only communication channels are open, we send message on the app to know if they want the medication despite the part or full approval or rejection. This saves precious waiting time at an actual pharmacy which can be stressful in times of indisposition,” Dr Moopen added.
