UAE's first robot pharmacy – This is how robotics will change healthcare in near future!

This smart pharmacy is deploying a robot for the first time in the UAE to dispense prescribed medication- Image for representational purposes only

Dubai: While the word 'robot' evokes various thoughts and images, perhaps conflicting ones, it is believed that in the very near future, robotics might replace human medical workers to save our lives.

Nowadays, robotics are being widely used in pharmacies, hospitals, and healthcare in general.

To reduce the cost and ensure that patients receive their prescriptions, pharmacy robots who sort through various medications, pick pills in the proper dosages and package them for nurses to administer are on the rise.

Pharmacy robots not only improve quality for patients for years, but are also far less likely to make errors along the way.

In one of such development, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has inaugurated its first "robot pharmacy" at Rashid Hospital in Dubai, as per a media report on Friday.

This smart pharmacy is deploying a robot for the first time in the UAE to dispense prescribed medication, which would be done at a click of button based on a bar code, therefore "minimise any human error," Xinhua cited a report by UAE state news agency WAM.

The robot, which will start serving customers from Sunday, can store up to 35,000 medicines and dispense around 12 prescriptions in less than a minute, which would reduce customers' waiting time significantly.

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) said it plans to adopt the use of robot in all its hospitals soon.

The robot is one of the latest smart technologies adopted by the authority to meet the 2016-2021 strategy, which aims to achieve a "happy and healthy society," DHA said.

In order to be at the forefront of a digital economy within the Arab world, the UAE has installed robots at several public places.

Robots greet passengers at Dubai international airport and the first driverless cars are tested by the Dubai government in the Business Bay near the world's tallest tower Burj Khalifa.

Medical robots have become an ever emerging technology today. They can support, assist and even help perform tasks that human doctors can not do as precisely and accurately.

(With IANS inputs)