Practo now allows its users to do more than just looking up doctors and specialists on its app. In a new feature that the company is testing out in Bangalore, users will now be able to order medicines online.
Practo’s app now shows a newly added tab that says “Buy Medicines”. The delivery options are limited to a few areas in Bangalore.
Currently, companies that let users buy medicines require them to take pictures of their prescriptions and upload them on the app. Practo is leveraging Practo Ray, its end-to-end cloud-based healthcare management solution for clinics, to eliminate this step. If the doctor who issued a prescription is using Practo Ray, patients would not have to upload or present the prescription to Practo, reducing the paperwork required by the user. Customers also have the the option to upload pictures and buy medicines if their doctor doesn’t use Practo Ray.
Selling drugs online is a contentious business area in India. In May last year, the Maharashtra government had filed a case against Snapdeal for selling medicines on its portal. Practo on its terms and conditions says that it sources the medicine from licensed pharmacies in accordance with The Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940.