UCT medical students spoke to patients at Mitchell’s Plain day hospital about the benefits of using e-lockers at the facility to collect their chronic meds.
Electronic lockers, or e-lockers, can be used at Mitchell's Plain, Gugulethu and Heideveld day hospitals, to help patients beat the queues to pick up their monthly chronic medication.
Eight UCT medical students met with patients at the Mitchell's Plain day hospital earlier this month to inform them about the benefits of using the lockers.
Student Pule Mokoena said the e-lockers could help patients avoid long lines. "However, people are not using these e-lockers optimally if at all, and this is because of the lack of understanding and awareness."
Using the lockers would benefit those with jobs who did not have time to wait in line or could not afford to take leave or knock off early to fetch their medication, he said, adding that the convenience of the lockers would also help to ensure that people did not skip taking their medication.
Provincial health department spokeswoman Monique Johnstone, said the e-locker system had been introduced to Mitchell's Plain day hospital in September 2021 and 20 patients were added to the system each week.
“This means that there is a steady flow of people accessing the service, but we need to encourage more people to access the service which is very beneficial and won’t require them to wait long at the pharmacy area for their medication."
There are no waiting time to use an e-locker. Patients get a one-time PIN (OTP) to access the locker at a specific time.
Some patients, such as those who need to see a doctor more regularly or those who use insulin or a medication that needs to be stored in a fridge, may not be able to use the lockers. Patients also need a working cellphone number to receive an OTP.