Alles geht!
"Ill and housebound? We'll attend to you!"
PRESS INFORMATION
Vienna April 2003
On 30th April 2003, the Vienna-based Chamber of Pharmacists, in partnership with the Veloce courier service, launched a medication delivery service.
"We hope that this service will reinforce the Vienna pharmacists' public reputation as a local provider," said Heinrich Burggasser, the President of the Vienna branch of the Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists.
"Under the motto "Ill and housebound? We'll attend to you" we are hoping to improve our customer service and at the same time cater for every type of despatch requirement", added Mr Burggasser. "In cases of emergency, there's no doubt that only the Vienna Pharmacists can provide quick, expert assistance.
The Vienna Chamber of Pharmacists set up a delivery service for emergency medication in collaboration with a taxi company in 1997, but for organisational reasons this arrangement had to be discontinued. Since the results of that service had been positive, it was reorganised and given an improved platform, wherein the Austrian pharmacists put the emphasis on advice from pharmacists, security for the medication and speed of delivery.
Even if this courier service is organised together with the Veloce company, the pharmacists - according to Max Wellan, the vice-president of the Vienna branch of the Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists - will remain the "central hub" of the service, i.e. patients/customers first have to get in touch with the pharmacy (see interview below). Thus the pharmacist has the opportunity to provide telephone advice or decide whether or not the case is really an emergency which justifies the delivery of medication or whether the patient might actually require the personal attention of a doctor.
The new delivery service was announced on 30th April 2003 in a press conference given by the Vienna Chamber of Pharmacists along with Dr. E. Pittermann, the city health councillor, and the Veloce courier service. The latter is guaranteeing that deliveries will be made throughout Vienna and at a standard rate. 30 minute deliveries Veloce has assured the Vienna branch of the pharmacists association that deliveries will normally be made within 30 minutes, and certainly within an hour at most. For deliveries from the nearest pharmacy, Veloce will be charging patients 9 euros incl. VAT during stand-by times outside opening hours, and 7 euros during normal opening hours. This fee will remain the same even if the courier needs first to visit the patient's home to pick up a prescription and therefore needs to make the journey between the patient and the pharmacy twice.
The initiative is going to be publicised via the radio, through adverts on the tram system and by distributing leaflets in pharmacies. All the documents and forms that are required for the delivery service to proceed smoothly have already been provided to pharmacies, and it now has to be seen to what extent the Viennese will take advantage of the new service. According to the Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists, the service is currently only available in Vienna, and cannot be offered in other towns or states. See www.apotheker.or.at and www.veloce.at for further details.
Veloce is a subsidiary of GO!'s Austrian partner and an experienced provider of cycle courier services.
