A new robotics system will be implemented over the next three years at the Central Procurement and Supplies Unit for medicines.

The system will improve patient safety, and reduce errors, Fearne said.

Delivering a presentation, Ministry of Health consultant Michael Farrugia explained that the system, called Pillpick, will merge computers with robots and the pneumatic tube system. Doctors would be able to file an order online for medicines, and within three minutes that would be sent to the ward where the patient is situated.

The system has seen positive results abroad, he said. “The system will reduce human error, minimise paper and manual interventions, minimise wastage, and allows for more meticulous audit trails.”

The robot will process the medicines bought by government, split them up into packets of single medicines, which will have a bar code stuck on. Then when a pill is ordered, a robot will take the pill using the scanned bar code, take it to the pneumatic tube, which will then send it to the doctors and nurses in the ward. The nurse will then take the pill to the patient, and scan the barcode on the patient’s wristband to ensure that it is the right medicine the patient requires.

Health Minister Chris Fearne, addressing the conference, said that the system improves patient safety. He highlighted that the system will also include a software which will ensure that the medicine ordered matches the patient’s condition, and will see if the dose matches with the age and gender of the patient, while also checking if the patient has any allergies or potential reactions it could have if the patient is on other medication.

He praised the Maltese healthcare system, and said that it ranks so well thanks to the professionals who work within the sector.

Photos: Luke Zerafa