The pandemic and the lockdown(s) that followed necessitated services that we would usually go to, to come to our doorstep. We have seen an uptick in the number of startups in food delivery to logistics services. One key area that is getting some much-needed attention is the retail pharmaceuticals industry.
There are a lot of people who are on different prescriptions that need to be replenished every so often. With the pandemic and with some of those people being in the high-risk groups there is a real need for delivery services that can bring meds to peoples’ homes.
A couple of weeks ago Cassava’s Maisha and Vaya team up to deliver medications and this week there is another service called Dial-A-Med which has come into the market.
Dial-A-Med
The app officially launched yesterday and Dial-A-Med is looking to offer a seamless pharmacy to customer service. Dial-A-Med is open for those in the country and those in the diaspora to purchase for loved ones at home, delivering both prescription and over the counter medication.
Dial-A-Med is following the model that we have seen of late in the remittance space. Companies are now not only offering to send money to and fro but also services like Senditoo offering ZESA payments.
Zimbabweans in the Diaspora can pay for meds for their family at home through PayPal, Visa or Mastercard. Payment options for locals include cash, OneMoney, and EcoCash. Once the purchase has been made the meds will then be delivered to the recipients home. Dial-A-Med has also integrated with PayNow for local currency transactions but that service is only available on the Android version of the app at the moment.
Range of service
The app, at present, is only serving Harare and up to a 20km radius of the city. There are however plans in the pipeline to broaden its scope of service to include other cities.
Partners
The service would be nothing without the pharmacies to provide the medication and to this end, Dial-A-Med has entered into a partnership with Baines Pharmacy. The service has more pharmacies signing up and the ultimate goal is to have as many on board as possible.
Dial-A-Med has also acquired a number of motorcycles to meet the demand for their services.
You can check out the app for yourself with the links below:
You can also visit Dial-A-Med’s website with the link here
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