The Client – Changi General Hospital
Located in Simei, Eastern Singapore, Changi General Hospital (CGH) is a dedicated tertiary referral centre committed to offering comprehensive patient-centric care to over 1 million people nationwide.
CGH Pharmacy team with PharmaSIS
This 1000-bed district facility offers 23 core medical services and houses six specialist centres. It has over 130 consultation rooms for multi-speciality outpatient care, with recognized excellence in sports/emergency medicine, geriatric/healing medicine and more.
Changi General Hospital’s proactive and integrated approach, topped by its adoption of new and innovative medical technologies and systems, catalyzed its consistent ranking in Newsweek World’s Best Smart Hospitals (2021 – 2024).
The Requirement – Uniting Care With Convenience
Experiencing thousands of footfalls every single day, Changi General Hospital wanted to streamline its services, manage footfalls with reduced patient load and make its operations more economical.
CGH aimed to empower patients to manage minor ailments independently, without going through time-consuming procedures like booking out-patient appointments, waiting in queues, etc.
CGH wanted to live up to its values and mission of extending technology-backed holistic patient care beyond conventional hospital setup while uniting care with convenience.
The Solution – Pharmacy Smart Interface System
CGH launched PharmaSIS in April 2023, raising the bar for clinical excellence, a groundbreaking innovation that made pharmacy-only medicines available on the go.
Characterized by a large touch-screen interface, cashless payment integrations, video-record features and ID scanners, this custom smart vending device catered to patient needs in 5 simple steps that included:
- Product Search, by matching symptoms followed by browsing relevant medications on the product page
- Entering Name and Mobile Number for teleconsultation with CHG pharmacist
- ID scanning to verify the age and authenticity of the patient
- Speaking with Pharmacist after successful verification of ID
- Pay and Collect medicines from the collection point.
PharmaSIS was further fortified with several key safety features, such as temperature and humidity control, to maintain the quality of the dispensed medications while testing every step minutely to ensure 100% patient data confidentiality.
The range of medical products currently housed in PharmaSIS includes medicines for common cough, cold, fever, diarrhoea, constipation, minor fungal infections, itches, rashes, insect bites, dry skin, and dry eyes, as well as hearing aid batteries and some audiology products.
While the smart vending system currently operates from 9 am to 6 pm, CGH is endeavouring to offer 24/7 availability in the forthcoming years.
The Outcome – The Future Of Pharmacy
Following its launch, PharmaSIS paved a narrative of resounding success. Patients in Singapore wholeheartedly accepted automated management of controlled drug availability, instant patient guidance, and drug safety.
Key outcomes for patient advantage included:
- Minimized waiting time
- On-the-spot solutions to minor health issues
- Saving on direct appointment expenses
- Strengthened trust in CGH, with instant availability of guidance, access to high-quality medications, topped with 100% patient confidentiality
Key outcomes for CGH:
- Heavily streamlined operations
- Reduced and more manageable footfalls
- Optimized patient load, thereby freeing up more time for doctors to focus on serious cases
- Significant savings on overhead costs
- Gaining patient trust by offering timely and convenient access to pharmacy-only medicines
PharmaSIS was a revolutionary step forward in innovative healthcare automation, making the availability of controlled medications quick, safe and convenient for patients.
We Can Do The Same For You
If you are a healthcare/pharmaceutical company, we can bring you the best automated smart vending systems to achieve outcomes as promising as CGH. Cost-effective and easy to launch, Ogmento’s smart vending machines are available in 3 different capacities and come with key features like temperature/humidity control, real-time stock overview, product obsolescence reminders, cashless payment integrations and more.
