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Jiaxing, a city in East China's Zhejiang province, plans to establish 45 24-hour home delivery pharmacies this year, according to a document recently released by the Zhejiang Medical Products Administration.

The action is in response to the COVID-19 outbreak and is meant to offer local residents a more safe and convenient way to purchase medicine, reduce the risk of cross infection, and help alleviate pressure on medical institutions.

The 24-hour pharmacies will adopt an online to offline (O2O) business model, which means customers can browse and purchase medicine online and have it delivered directly to their homes.

The document states that 24-hour home delivery pharmacies will be based out of existing chain drugstores with high-quality management and good credit ratings. They will mainly be located in densely populated downtown areas.

The drugstores sell over the counter (OTC) medicine and medical devices.

With the new system, patients will be able to place an order and pay online. The pharmacies will then examine the order and arrange for home delivery.

The 24-hour home delivery pharmacies will also make use of internet technology to better treat patients with chronic diseases.

Such customers are required to present valid electronic prescriptions, after which they will receive the same services as customers buying OTC medicine.

The Zhejiang Medical Products Administration will strengthen the supervision and regulation of these pharmacies and related delivery companies, and if they fail to meet the requirements, they will not be allowed to sell medicine online or deliver medicine for the 24-hour pharmacies.

In 2020, Zhejiang plans to establish 500 24-hour home delivery pharmacies provincewide, including 45 in Jiaxing , 65 in Wenzhou, and 100 in Hangzhou.

Jiaxing, a city in East China's Zhejiang province, plans to establish 45 24-hour home delivery pharmacies this year. [Photo/WeChat account: jxfabu]