Dubai: You can now place online orders for medicines with a select chain of pharmacies in the UAE and have them delivered to your doorstep.
The country’s first-of-its-kind online facility, AsterOnline.com by Aster Pharmacy, which has 200 outlets, was launched in Dubai by Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar at a function at the Grand Hyatt this week.
The store, which currently takes only over the counter drug and other product orders, will soon cover prescription drugs as well, in which case residents will have to scan and upload their doctor’s prescriptions when placing their online orders.
1,000 products
The delivery will be made within 24-48 hours. The service is free if the bill exceeds Dh100 and Dh10 if it is below Dh100.
A total of 10,000 products in 13 categories are currently available.
Besides over-the-counter medications, they include nutritional products, medical equipment, skin care, hair care products, personal care, rehabilitation, first aid and support, homeopathy, mother and baby and wellness products. The new facility is expected to be highly beneficial to chronic and bedridden patients. It is aimed at making life easier and more convenient for them.
Jobilal Vavachan, CEO of Aster Pharmacy, said: “Patients with chronic medical problems would like to order their medications in advance. Many would like to browse and get the best choice for medical equipment and homecare products.
“AsterOnline.com will ensure that we offer our customers a wide range of products specially chosen to fit local needs and preferences. The new e-commerce platform is an initiative in this direction.”
Until now, residents lacked safe and legally permitted online avenues to buy medicines in the UAE.
