PATIENTS at public hospitals and government clinics in Johor have been receiving their medication through the postal service free of charge the past six months.
The patients registered under the Ubat Melalui Pos (UMP) programme, introduced in 2011, were previously paying RM6 for medication delivery via PosLaju.
But the Johor government has absorbed the delivery charges under its subsidy programme since August last year.
This is the only state in Malaysia that is offering this convenience, Johor health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said.
He said the initiative was aimed at reducing long queues at pharmacies in government healthcare facilities, especially at Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) in Johor Baru.
“About 2,000 patients turn up at HSA’s specialist clinics daily for appointments or to collect their medicine. The hospital is among the busiest in the country.
“Patients typically wait two to four hours to receive their medication.
“UMP spares them that hassle,” he told StarMetro.
He added that by waiving the postage fee, the state hoped more people would opt for delivery and avoid the long waits.
When the free programme started in August last year, Ling said 9,016 parcels were sent through the UMP service monthly.
“As of January this year, the number of parcels delivered rose to 13,523 a month, showing that more patients are aware of the programme.
“The state government will continue promoting the initiative to further ease congestion and improve patient convenience,” he said.
Ling, however, stressed that not all types of medicines were suitable to be posted.
“Medicines such as tablets, capsules, syrups, creams, powders, as well as ear and eye drops are suitable for postage.
“Non-aerosol medicines such as inhalers and patches can also be dispensed through UMP,” he said.
However, patients requiring temperature-controlled medications such as insulin and psychotropic medicines, he said, were not eligible for the postal programme.
Patients can check their eligibility for the programme by enquiring at the pharmacy of public hospitals and health clinics before signing up.
Eligible patients, said Ling, would be assisted by a staff member to download the MyUbat mobile app and register for the service.
“Patients can track their package on the app, just like online shopping,” he said.
He assured users that the postal service was secure and on time.
Besides UMP, Ling said Johor government also subsidised medicine delivery services to special lockers at selected shopping centres.
He said the state had allocated RM170,000 this year for the Locker4U initiative, which provided 348 self-service locker units at six locations, allowing patients to collect their medicine while shopping.
The initiative enables HSA patients to collect their medicine at facilities in Aeon Taman Universiti, while patients from the Bukit Indah health clinic can collect them at Lotus’s Bukit Indah.
Patients from the Majidee health clinic can collect them at Paragon Marketplace; Taman Universiti health clinic at Econsave Taman Teratai; Tebrau health clinic at Pelangi Leisure Mall and Kulai health clinic at Lotus’s Kulai.
“The lockers are located in densely populated areas for patients’ convenience.
“Once their medicine is placed in the locker, they will receive a password in the MyUbat app, which they will use to unlock the facility,” he said.
Ling hopes more people will sign up for the two free initiatives.
“With multiple delivery options in place, the Johor government aims to reduce congestion at public healthcare facilities while enhancing patient experience,” he said.
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