All mohalla clinics will have medicine-vending machines

The AAP government will install medicine-vending machines in all mohalla clinics and polyclinics if a trial run succeeds, city health minister Satyendar Jain said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, an automatic medicine-dispensing machine was installed at the Todarpur mohalla clinic to cut down on paperwork and the need for a full-time pharmacist. The machine will be installed at nine other mohalla clinics as part of its pilot project, sources said.

“The mohalla clinics are using whatever latest technology that is available. If the trial is successful, we will install these machines in 1,000 mohalla clinics and polyclinics,” Mr Jain said. At present, 105 mohalla clinics and 22 polyclinics are running in Delhi.

Mr Jain said the machine will dispense medicines when a doctor prescribes them on a connected tablet. The vending machine at Todarpur dispenses 50 different types of medicines, both tablets and syrups. The patients can collect the medicines directly from the machines.

In other clinics, medicines are distributed by a pharmacist, working under the supervision of the doctor.

The vending machine reduces the doctors’ non-clinical activities and allows more time for interaction with patients. The mohalla clinics, which are open between 8.30 am and 1 pm from Monday to Saturday, draw 200-350 patients each day.

According to the Aam Aadmi Party government, the machine will be introduced in other clinics after a cost-benefit analysis.

The Delhi government plans to open 1,000 mohalla clinics and 150 polyclinics by the year-end to make basic healthcare more accessible and reduce the burden on government hospitals.

The Delhi government’s healthcare roadmap works on the primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare model. For primary healthcare like basic consultation and medicines, there are mohalla clinics.

For specialist care and a wider spectrum of diagnostics, there are polyclinics.

The patients requiring surgery or hospitalisation are referred to the final tier — government-run hospitals.