Vending machines for OTC medicine sales sweep into Suzhou

Vending machines selling non-prescription medicine have been put into service in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu province, according to thepaper.cn.

An OTC medicine vending machine in Suzhou, in east China's Jiangsu province. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

Each machine contains up to 50 different kinds of OTC medicine used to treat common ailments, such as a common cold, stomach upset, aches and pains, and pediatric illnesses.

The screen displays the kinds of common cold and cough medicines available from the machine. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

Payments can be made through either Wechat or Alipay.

The interior of the machines is temperature controlled to ensure that the medicines are stored under appropriate conditions. Maintenance workers will be automatically alerted when a medicine reaches its expiry date.

A patient collects medicine dispensed by the vending machine. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

Users can find the nearest vending machine by installing an app on Wechat, and check online if the medicines they require are available. So far, 36 machines have been put into operation, and 24 others are expected to be brought into service.