[App Fridays] Amidst COVID-19 information overload, PharmEasy app cuts the clutter with awareness, vaccination, RT-PCR tests and more

With India engulfed in the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Pharmeasy has stepped in to fight COVID-19 by extending its features and providing information and resources to its users.

Started in 2015, PharmEasy is an online medicine delivery app that also allows users to buy healthcare products, OTC products, and medical equipment online. Users can also book diagnostic tests online, including blood tests, lab tests, full-body check-up, and other preventive health check-ups.

The app, which has been downloaded more than 10 million times on Google Play Store, has a user rating of 4.3 stars. It is now providing verified COVID-19 related information, such as coronavirus tests, booking of vaccination slots, and other requirements.

Besides Android, the app is also available on Apple’s App Store, and can be used via the web.

This week, we’ll walk you through the PharmEasy app, which may be helpful in times of medical urgency.

Let’s gets started

To get started on the app, you need to enter your pin code or select your current location. We let the app use location only for ‘while using the app’ option. PharmEasy covers more than 22,000 pin code in India. 

Once the location is set, you land on the homepage, which is designed in the form of a marketplace. You can buy medicines, get a lab test, buy wellness products, and even shop by filtering the category. You can also see trending products by scrolling down.

COVID-19

Amid the pandemic, it’s the app's first section on the homepage that has become more relevant. The section has swipe screens, which lets you order COVID-19 related products, read about COVID-19 resources, find the nearest RT-PCR test centres, book home tests for COVID-19, order medicines for home delivery, and even find alternatives to prescribed COVID-19 medicines. The same section also lets you find and book vaccination slots.

The ‘Covid Free India’ tab under the section is potentially the most useful, as it allows users to find all COVID-19-related resources – from packages, essentials, oxygen and ICU beds, and helpline numbers – at one place.

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This tab also has a ‘Covid Awareness’ segment that provides verified information, as well as talks by doctors on COVID-19, vaccination, home care etc. This particular segment also has many articles providing information about the virus, vaccines, or treatment.

We found this segment to be really useful as amidst an overdose of information, this seems like an easy-to-understand and decluttered source of verified information.

On the app, you can read articles like how to read COVID-related test reports; everything you need to know about Russian vaccine Sputnik V; a six-minute walking test, and so on.

So far, users do not have to log on to the app to source the information, but to order a test or medicine, you need to log in with your mobile number.

Other features

The homepage has four sections – healthcare, diagnostics, notification, and account. You can search from a list of medicines, health tests, packages, and a wide range of healthcare products. To avail the services, users have to upload a valid doctor's note from a registered medical practitioner. They can also keep a record of all the prescriptions in the account itself.

Though we could not find doctor’s consultation on the app, however, some articles suggest that PharmEasy has a telemedicine service on a need basis. The app has a lot of deals and discounts on the products, which may help users to save some bucks. Other than COVID-19, a user can book other tests too and PharmEasy has made available packages of all ranges for a lab test.

The verdict

The app is sort of a one-stop shop for health and wellness needs. We could not find an option of telemedicine on the app, but if PharmEasy makes it available on the home screen, it would really make this an app that can help you with any healthcare-related problem.

We really like how PharmEasy has created a no-nonsense COVID-19 resource center for education around the virus, vaccine, and treatment. It has collated all the necessary needs of the current times, so that affected patients or their kins do not have to switch between websites and apps for their requirement.

We recommend you use the app, and also hope that you are keeping well and safe.