Baotou intelligent TCM pharmacy helps residents

A member of staff checks a TCM procedure at Baogang Hospital. [Photo/Baotou news network]

A traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM pharmacy is really helping residents in Baotou city in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region by literally going to their doors.

Residents say they are delighted with the initiative.

"When I received the medicine, it was still warm," said Mrs Guo, a resident of Hondlon district in Baotou. She recently received freshly prepared TCM at her home by express on the same day after seeking medical attention at the community hospital.

After residents receive medical treatment at the community health service center, doctors issue prescriptions on the computer. These prescriptions are then transmitted over the internet to the intelligent TCM pharmacy.

Pharmacy staff then accept the order, complete the process of dispensing, mixing and delivering the medicine to the door, providing an end-to-end service.

It's part of the "Internet + Intelligent TCM Pharmacy + Decocting Center" project launched by Baogang Hospital this year.

An intelligent TCM pharmacy can process up to around 800 doses of medicine per day. Compared with conventional processing, the intelligent information equipment there allows for the entire process – from prescription receipts and herbal dispensing to decoctions, filling, and logistics distribution – to be digitized and traceable.

The use of intelligent and automated equipment not only avoids the impact of manual operations on the quality of medicine but also allows regulatory authorities to achieve online supervision through the internet quality control system.

It's reported that the hospital currently is home to six community health centers and five health service stations, with the project providing services to around 200,000 residents in surrounding areas.