Need Your Meds – Take A Dablap Instead Of Queuing

The City encourages residents to take a daplap to pick up their medication by using the National Department of Health’s Central Chronic Medicine Dispensing and Distribution (CCMDD) programme, which distributes and dispenses medicine from a central point for patients with chronic conditions.

The word dablap is a colloquial word that means ‘take a shortcut’, and the City of Ekurhuleni encourages its residents to take a dablap instead of queuing to receive their chronic medication.

“Taking a day off from work to visit the clinic is not a luxury that all our patients enjoy, however, the medicine pick up points that have been introduced allow patients to collect their medication during lunch breaks nearer to their work, in that case, absenteeism is reduced at work,” explains MMC for Health and Social Services Cllr Nomadlozi Nkosi.

Maitiso Moloi, who is a stable patient on chronic medication, thanked the City for introducing the CCMDD.

“It is so convenient to just collect your medicine on your way to and from work, the CCMDD system has really taught me to visit the clinic only when it is necessary. This really saves me time and money,” Moloi said.

Service providers that assist with CCMDD are Clicks Pharmacies, Medirite Pharmacies, Dischem, Glamiro Health Services, Hira Street Pharmacies, Home of Solace, Cipla Shap.BH Pharmacy, Botha Med, Impilo Health Care Centre, PD Active Groups, Pick n Pay Pharmacies, Westwood and the South African Post offices.

The City of Ekurhuleni has an additional 22 Pele Boxes in municipal facilities to assist working patients to access their medication after hours.  One of the City’s partners, AURUM, also assists with the delivery of medication to elderly and disabled patients.