In Estonia, food delivery service providers Wolt and Bolt, together with several ministries, are examining the possibility of allowing couriers to deliver over-the-counter medicines, writes ERR News.
Consumer surveys have shown that there is a demand for fast delivery of pharmaceutical products, especially over-the-counter medicines. Olari Püvi, head of the Accelerate Estonia innovation program, said that the goal is to find a solution that would allow medicines to be delivered quickly and safely. Accelerate Estonia is participating in the analysis commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Affairs.
Nele Labi, Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Social Affairs, pointed out that better access to over-the-counter medicines would benefit public health and could reduce the spread of infectious diseases, as sick people would not go to pharmacies. She added that 24-hour access to over-the-counter medicines would eliminate the need to stockpile medicines at home and could even reduce the burden on emergency services. Labi also said that if the over-the-counter delivery of medicines proves successful, prescription medicines could also be delivered in time.
Accelerate Estonia is also currently studying a self-service pharmacy project. It is believed that improved 24-hour access to essential medicines would reduce the workload on emergency departments and ambulance services. In several countries, including Latvia and Lithuania, couriers are already allowed to deliver over-the-counter medicines. Püvi pointed out that
the aim is not only to create a new form of delivery, but also to improve the availability of medicines
at times when it is truly needed, for example at night or when it is difficult to get to a pharmacy. He stressed that the experience of other countries shows that this can be done safely if responsibilities are clearly indicated and the transport of medicines meets the requirements.
Delivery service providers Wolt and Bolt are also participating in the analysis of the situation. Wolt’s representative in the Baltics, Mantas Lomsargas, said that the company has been providing these services in many places for years, and has developed proven mechanisms to do so safely and in accordance with requirements.
Specific proposals for the pilot project and legislative changes will be provided after the analysis is completed. The issue has been discussed in Estonia before, but politicians and pharmacies did not support the idea.
Read also: Russia-generated security risks to Europe and Latvia are significantly increasing, SAB concludes