Can you get an MC and medication from a vending machine?

SINGAPORE: The company behind the vending machine offering medical consultation services and on-demand medication hopes to introduce them at all Shell petrol stations in Singapore. 

The first Dr Kart kiosk, which recently went viral on TikTok, is located at the Shell petrol station at 9 Tampines Avenue 2. 

RxMedz, the company behind the kiosks, told CNA that one of the advantages of the machine is that medicine can be dispensed immediately, compared with the current teleconsult services available where the patient needs to wait for the medication to be delivered. 

“As we do not intend to replace a clinic, Dr Kart’s aim is to make primary healthcare accessible and affordable to all,” said its CEO Ho See Chek. 

RxMedz is working with Shell to introduce the kiosk at all petrol stations “as we have a relationship with them”, and this would be easy to do, he added. 

The company is still trying to popularise the adoption of the kiosks, and there is room for it to do more, said Mr Ho. 

“But we are certain as we gear up to put more machines beyond Shell stations, it would be a valuable service for all as you can see how easy it is to reduce self-medication – no need to visit a pharmacy and worry that the pharmacist cannot dispense such a medication or worse, no pharmacist on duty,” he added. 

“We are hopeful that it will do well as we can treat 32 illnesses and have the relevant medications comprehensively to handle these demands.” 

CNA visited the kiosk on Dec 11 to test out the service – the kiosk asked for personal information and then took about half a minute to connect us with the healthcare staff member on standby. Doctors can observe the patient through a camera, and the patient speaks to the doctor through a handset connected to the kiosk, while they also appear on screen. 

This reporter asked for medicine and a medical certificate for an upset stomach. The pharmacist on the other end clarified that they could not issue a medical certificate since a doctor was not on duty, but could issue the necessary medication. 

A doctor would be on shift between 11pm and 7am, and I could return then if I needed a medical certificate, they added. 

After confirming that I still wanted to buy medication, the pharmacist asked detailed questions about the symptoms I was experiencing and when they began. The back-and-forth lasted about five minutes, and I had to verify my identity using my IC before I could pay for the medicine, which cost S$2. 

The pharmacist explained the dosage of the medicine while waiting for the medicine to be dispensed by an internal robotic arm. A gate at the bottom right of the machine opened and the medicine was packaged in a Dr Kart branded box for pickup. 

The entire call lasted almost eight minutes. 

According to Mr Ho, the Dr Kart team currently has three doctors and two pharmacists, and the kiosks are currently manned by doctors “most times”. 

“As sometimes doctors cannot take the shift, there will be at the minimum a pharmacist to take the duty. It is our aim to be fully manned by doctors,” he said, adding that they plan to hire more doctors to fill all the shifts with one available around the clock. 

Ms Charmaine Chung, who came to check out the machine while her husband was filling petrol, said she was unlikely to use the kiosk even though she lived nearby. 

“You can do teleconsult right? We did that before, we would definitely opt for that,” she said, gesturing at her son who was with her. 

“Because you’re already so sick, then you still have to get out of bed and come all the way here,” she told CNA, adding that she would rather drive to a 24-hour clinic if she had to make a trip anyway. 

“I thought it was something new, interesting,” said Ms Chung, impressed that the kiosk dispenses medication on the spot. 

After hearing that doctors were not available all the time and that this reporter was unable to obtain an MC, the 47-year-old added that she might make use of the on-demand medicine dispensary if it was just below her block. 

The kiosk at the Shell station in Tampines is located opposite a Housing and Development Board estate, and those residents might be able to make use of it, she said. 

But it might take time for people to learn how to use the kiosk, especially older patients, said Ms Chung. 

“My priority would be to go to the clinic. But if my son is really very sick and can’t get out of bed, and we don’t have any medicine, then I would opt for teleconsult,” she added, acknowledging that she would have to wait for the medicine to be delivered.