Haverim: Distributing free medication in Israel

During 2016, Haverim delivered over 3,800 packages of free medicine to people in need all over Israel. In 2015, we delivered 3,200 packages a month, but kept receiving a phone call for help every 5 minutes in average, and a rise in urgent and immediate requests.

This year we decided that we simply must help more people!

We decided to take the Free Pharmacy out from our offices – directly to the patients, using motorcycles. The new Meds by Bike Project is planned to deliver Haverim’s free medication to five major cities in Israel during 2017, and seven more during 2018.

The free medicine we deliver is donated by pharmaceutical companies, or gathered in one of our hundreds of collection centers, where it is rigorously sorted by our volunteer pharmacists. Currently, the medicines are then sent by mail to the patient. But what happens when a bed-ridden or elderly patient can't reach the post office to pick up his or her meds?

That's when we initiated the Meds By Bike project - to complete 'last mile' of free medicine delivery.

Meds by Bike Project in Detail

Patients in need of urgent or chronic medication can contact Haverim, and after a brief verification process, send us their prescriptions for immediate delivery. Each motorbike will be equipped with a ‘Cool Meds’ cooler box; special containers that meet the strictest Ministry of Health criteria for pharmaceutical storage and transfer. Every cooler box includes a GPS system for real-time tracking of each package of medication, the time it was delivered to the patient, and  a temperature gauge to maintain and monitor a fixed temperature, so vital in Israel's hot climate. The motorbikes will then deliver personal packages of free medicine to the patients.

Links:

• See how our Free Medicines are distributed across Israel!

During 2016, Haverim delivered over 4000 packages of free medicine to people in need all over Israel every month, 20% more than in 2015. Currently we receive a phone call for help every 5 minutes in average, and a rise in urgent and immediate requests.

This year we must help more people!

We’ve decided to take the Free Pharmacy out from our offices – directly to the patients, using motorcycles. The new Meds by Bike Project is planned to deliver Haverim’s free medication to five major cities in Israel during 2016, and seven more during 2017.

The free medicine we deliver is donated by the major pharmaceutical companies, or gathered in one of our hundreds of collection centers, where it is rigorously sorted by our volunteer pharmacists, and then delivered by mail to the patient. Expired drugs are sent to professional (‘green’) disposal.

Meds by Bike Project in Detail

Patients in need of urgent or chronic medication can contact Haverim, and after a brief verification process, send us their prescriptions for immediate delivery. Each motorbike will be equipped with a ‘Cool Meds’ cooler box; special containers that meet the strictest Ministry of Health criteria for pharmaceutical storage and transfer. Every cooler box includes a GPS system for real-time tracking of each package of medication, the time it was delivered to the patient, and  a temperature gauge to maintain and monitor a fixed temperature, so vital in Israel's hot climate. The motorbikes will then deliver personal packages of free medicine to the patients.

‘Meds Now’ Mobile Application

In order to enable real-time and urgent communications between the patient, Haverim and the motorcycles, Haverim will be developing a mobile application.  The application will be linked to the Mobile Pharmacy in order to update as to the location and delivery of every package of medicine, and in order to manage stock.

How can you help?                       

One 125cc Motorbike:  28,000 NIS              
Registration: 4,000 NIS
Insurance (3 years) : 21,000 NIS 
Maintenance (3 years):  15,000 NIS
‘Keep Cool’ Medicine Box Device: 6,000 NIS                

TOTAL PER BIKE :  74,000 NIS

• Distributing free medicines by motorbike (PDF)