Can medicines be delivered at home in the UAE?

What cannot be delivered

The DHA Standards for Telehealth Services are clear on this. Narcotic, controlled and semi-controlled medicines cannot be prescribed or dispensed through telehealth services, and it is prohibited to deliver them through a pharmacy delivery system.

If you need one of these medicines, talk to your doctor about how to get it in person. Do not stop or change a medicine because you cannot get it delivered. Ask your doctor or pharmacist what to do.

What licensed pharmacy delivery means

An appendix to the DHA standard sets out requirements for out-patient pharmacies in Dubai that deliver over-the-counter medicines and general products. It gives a good idea of what a properly run service looks like:

• The pharmacy is licensed. It must be a DHA licensed out-patient pharmacy, and it must seek DHA approval for dispensing medicines through a delivery system.
• A pharmacist is responsible. Delivery can be done by pharmacy staff or by a third party with DHA approval. Either way, it is the responsibility of the pharmacist in charge.
• Your order is recorded. A telephone order must be written down or recorded electronically, with the time, the products and the customer and pharmacist details.
• Packaging stays intact. Products should come in their original manufacturer packs with their original leaflets.
• Storage is controlled. Temperature and humidity must be kept within the manufacturer's instructions during delivery.
• The right person receives it. The order should go to the person who placed it. If they cannot receive it, someone aged 18 or over can do so, with the customer's approval.

When telepharmacy is used to dispense prescribed medicines, the pharmacist must verify the order, the prescribing doctor and the patient. You must be told about transaction and delivery costs in advance, and told if a third party is involved.

Checking your delivery

The DHA standard suggests a warning on the shipment label: do not use the product if the parcel does not match the order, if it has been opened or damaged, or if there is any chance the product may be defective. The suggested label also names the pharmacy, its facility ID and contact details, and the pharmacist and their licence number.

So when your order arrives, check the name of the medicine, the seal and the leaflet before you use it. Contact the pharmacy if anything looks wrong. The suggested label also notes that delivered products cannot be returned or exchanged, so ask about this before you order if it matters to you.

You can check a facility in Dubai under the Facilities tab of the Dubai Medical Registry. These are Dubai rules. In Abu Dhabi, pharmacies come under the Department of Health, so ask the pharmacy what applies to your order.

Delivery through medicAI

On medicAI, you upload your prescription in the app and add your address. If you are covered at work, your insurer approves the order and you pay any co-pay at delivery. If you are paying yourself, you get a call to confirm before delivery. A pharmacy licensed by DHA in Dubai or DoH in Abu Dhabi then delivers to your door. See pharmacy and delivery for details.

Delivery needs your consent, which you give before your medicines go out. You can read our medicine delivery consent template. The pharmacy and its delivery partner must each hold a valid licence.

medicAI is a technology platform and does not prescribe. If you do not have a prescription yet, you can see a doctor by video, and the doctor decides whether you need medicine.

When not to wait for a delivery

Do not rely on a delivery if someone is seriously ill or has a bad reaction to a medicine. Call 998 for an ambulance from anywhere in the UAE, or go to the nearest hospital. If you are running out of a medicine you take regularly, contact your doctor or pharmacy early.