In support of easing the province’s over-burdened public health system, the Gauteng Health Department is providing patients with a more convenient option of collecting their repeat chronic medication.
For years, long queues of patients waiting for their chronic medication has been a common sight at public hospitals. Through government’s Centralised Chronic Medication Dispensing and Distribution (CCMDD) programme, this will be a thing of the past.
Initiated by the National Department of Health in 2014, the CCMDD programme dubbed Dablapmeds aims to increase easy access to medicine by allowing those on chronic medication to conveniently collect their medication at a pick-up point closer to home, workplace, or their children’s school without having to wait in a long queue. This will save patients’ time, reduce transport costs, and ensure that they have the medical care and supply they need to maintain their treatment programme.
There are currently 850 pick-up points in the province, and these include commercial outlets like Clicks, DisChem, Medirite and Pick ‘n Pay pharmacy chains and even community-based sites like churches.
You can register on the programme if:
- You have a valid South African Identity Document (ID) or card, an asylum seeker permit, or a foreign passport
- You have a chronic condition, and your test results are within the normal range
- If you are younger than 18 and do not yet have an ID, a birth certificate may be used for registration as well as for verification when collecting medication
How to register and start using CCMDD
- You can only register if you meet the qualifying criteria. Ask your healthcare worker to register you on the programme at your next clinic appointment
- You will receive an SMS when your parcel is ready for collection
The elderly and frail who are not able to collect their medication themselves can register someone else to collect on their behalf, which is a common occurrence especially where for example a grandchild is tasked to collect on behalf of a grandparent or guardian.
For more information, please contact Dablapmeds Gauteng via:
Email: gpsynch.helpdesk@hst.org.za
Helpdesk: 087 821 2778
WhatsApp: 063 768 5325