Uber partners with Medlife to deliver medicines in 5 cities

Ride-hailing platform Uber on Friday said it has partnered with online health platform Medlife to provide residents across Kolkata, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow and Pune access to prescription and over-the-counter medicines amid the ongoing national lockdown.

Uber had previously partnered Flipkart, BigBasket and Spencer's Retail to make deliveries on behalf of these players.

"We are pleased to announce our partnership with Medlife, our first with an online pharmacy platform, to support last mile delivery of prescription and other medicines. During these challenging times, we are committed to the well-being of our communities and to ensure they stay healthy and safe.

"Through this service, we continue to provide earning opportunities for drivers," Uber India General Manager (North India) Shiva Shailendran said in a statement.

In line with government guidelines and to maintain safety and hygiene levels for containing the spread of COVID-19, all drivers associated with this service are being provided masks, gloves, sanitisers and safety training, the statement added.

"Our aim is to ensure timely and hassle-free delivery of all essential medical supplies to our customers...We will work with them (Uber) across multiple cities and hope to bridge the gap between demand and supply at the earliest," Medlife Head of Supply Chain Management Manish Garg said.

With the implementation of the lockdown across the country, the government has allowed only people in essential services like healthcare, banking and media to commute. Restricted mobility had left driver-partners of cab services like Ola and Uber with no source of income.

Since then, both Ola and Uber have undertake various measures to provide various relief measures to driver-partners. These platforms are already providing services in various locations in partnership with state governments to provide commute facilities to hospitals, among others.

Other digital platforms have also added features to tide over the situation. Housejoy, a tech-driven construction, interiors and home maintenance company, has launched 'Housejoy Mart' for delivery of essential items. Currently active in Bengaluru, Housejoy Mart will help deliver groceries, vegetables and other essential items to customers.

Similarly, healthcare platform cure.fit has added a range of grocery essentials in its portfolio. With nearly 40 SKUs across various categories, the company is providing delivery slots within 24 hours of order placement and is working closely with the brand partners like Saffola (Marico), MTR, Britannia, Pillsbury (General Mills), Ashirwad (ITC), MDH and 24 Mantra among others.

Cure.fit is currently providing this service across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi, and is planning to foray to Mumbai soon.