PETALING JAYA: Free medicine delivery services could reduce long queues and repeated hospital visits while easing access to prescriptions for senior citizens and patients with mobility challenges, according to healthcare users.
Retiree P. Nirmala, 70, from Penang, welcomed the government’s proposal to provide free medicine delivery, saying it would particularly benefit elderly patients and those facing difficulties travelling to hospitals for routine prescription refills.
Nirmala, who resides in Bukit Mertajam, currently receives her medication from Hospital Penang in George Town via a delivery service.
She said the existing fee was affordable for intra-state deliveries, but free access would significantly ease the burden on lower-income patients.
“It is a good initiative for senior citizens like us, especially when commuting to the hospital is not always easy if we are only going there to collect medicines,” she said yesterday.
Earlier, the government said it was looking to expand its medicine delivery programme nationwide, with patients no longer required to bear postal delivery costs, according to Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
Nirmala added that hospital visits often require assistance from family members, who must take time off work.
“It is not very convenient to travel to the hospital just to collect medicines. My children would have to take leave from work to accompany me.
“When the medicines are delivered to our home, it is much easier and more convenient,” she said.
While she does not object to the current fee, Nirmala said waiving it would make a meaningful difference for many patients.
“For some people, even RM5 or RM10 can be significant. Making the service free would help a lot of patients,” she said.
She also noted that medicine delivery services help patients avoid long waits at hospital pharmacies.
“When we go to the hospital, we have to queue up.
“With home delivery, our routine medicines arrive at the comfort of our own home, making the whole process much more convenient,” she added.
Separately, retiree and former media industry employee LY Looi, 61, welcomed the announcement, noting that she also pays for medicine delivery for her 93-year-old father, who lives nearby in Petaling Jaya.
Both are patients of Klinik Kesihatan Kelana Jaya and receive their medication every few months at different times through the Health Ministry’s MyUBAT app.
“Even though the delivery costs only between RM5.70 and RM6 each time, it’s still savings for a retiree like me who is careful about my spending,” said Looi.
Another patient, who wished to be known as Mohamad Sabri, 55, from Perlis, said he welcomed the government’s announcement.
“For patients living far from hospitals, especially in rural areas, medicine delivery services could eliminate the need for long journeys and make healthcare more accessible.
“I hope this type of initiative will be expanded to more people.”
