What To Know
- The first part of the clinic is devoted to patients having a virtual consultation with a Minmed Doctor via the Minmed Connect app in a private consultation pod.
- To guarantee that the machine has enough stock of medicine, doctors get a real-time view of what is available in the inventory through a backend gateway and will be alerted if a given medication is running low.
Editor’s brief: With Singapore pushing towards decentralized healthcare, there is an increasing need for healthcare and medicine availability at the community and preferably round-the-clock. SmartRx partners with Minmed to bring the first such telemedicine clinic installation at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). Read more below.
SINGAPORE – SmartRx Pte Ltd, a Singapore pioneer in Automated Pharmacy Machines (APM), has teamed with healthcare group Minmed to launch the first Telemedicine Clinic in Singapore, at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).
The Minmed Telemedicine Clinic draws on SmartRx technology to give university staff, students, and neighboring residents tele-consultation with Minmed doctors, along with prescription drug dispensing services round the clock.
The first part of the clinic is devoted to patients having a virtual consultation with a Minmed Doctor via the Minmed Connect app in a private consultation pod. Measurements of the patient’s height, weight, temperature, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and blood pressure may all be taken within the pod thanks to its integrated sensors. Thereafter, a doctor may prescribe the necessary prescription remotely without stepping out physically.
The patient will then leave the pod and be able to retrieve their medication from the drug dispensing machine placed next to the private consultation pod as soon as they enter the six-digit security code issued through the Minmed Connect app. This will improve the security of giving medications only to those who need them. Automatic labeling with the patient’s name, drug name, and instructions for use are all features of the drug distribution system, which labels and dispenses the patient’s medication in real time. To guarantee that the machine has enough stock of medicine, doctors get a real-time view of what is available in the inventory through a backend gateway and will be alerted if a given medication is running low. The Minmed Connect mobile app serves as a portal to digital versions of granted medical certificates.
With this system, patients may get an immediate diagnosis, prescription, and drug pickup whenever they need it. The vendors estimates that patients of the Telemedicine Clinic may save two hours per visit compared to visiting a physical clinic.
Even though tele-consultation is not new and are already available on some competing platforms, the delivery time of medicine can possibly take between three and five hours. The vendors believe that the Minmed Telemedicine Clinic powered by SmartRx can address these challenges with real-time consultation, prescription and medicine collection.
“When we explored solutions for the community at SUTD, our common desire was for a technology and design rich approach in serving the students, staff, and residents round the clock. We pushed beyond current definitions of telehealth and wanted consultation, assessment and dispensing to occur in one neat episode. The remote monitoring tools and the vending machine allowed us to do so. This opens the way for us to serve remote and nearshore locations with more optimal use of resources.” said Dr Eric Chiam, CEO of Minmed Group.
Those living in the vicinity can take advantage of the new clinic’s 24-hour accessibility. This fits in keeping with the nation’s “Healthier SG” goal of decentralising care from hospital to home, allowing the populace to take more ownership of their health.
“Minmed wants to better serve their patients in SUTD with on-demand healthcare, and we have the technology, platform and experience for them to achieve this goal. The vision fell in line, and thus the collaboration,” said Mr Tong Ping Heng, Managing Director at SmartRx. “As a company, Minmed provides progressive healthcare with their tele-consultation services, SUTD is a progressive school with tech-savvy staff and students, and we are technology innovators with solutions for improving overall healthcare provision to the masses. This clinic fits everyone’s mission, will be the first for many, and be the first of many. We expect that by introducing this Telemedicine Clinic, we will be bringing healthcare support closer to residents, as well as minimizing travel and waiting time for doctor’s consultation and prescription.”
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