The Western Cape’s Chronic Dispensing Unit is distributing an average of 400,000 patient-specific medicine parcels each month, helping reduce clinic queues and improve access to chronic medication.
Operated by the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, the CDU packs approximately two million individual medicine items monthly, with medication worth an average of R42 million distributed to healthcare facilities and approved alternative collection points across the province.
The system allows clinically stable patients to receive pre-packed chronic medication without spending extended periods waiting at healthcare facilities. Depending on the collection option available, patients can collect medication from healthcare facilities, community centres, wellness hubs and e-lockers.
Reducing the number of stable patients visiting clinics solely to collect medication also creates additional capacity for healthcare workers to counsel patients, manage acute cases and support people requiring clinical care.
The scale of the programme has grown significantly since the CDU began distributing fewer than 1,000 parcels a month in 2005. During the 2025/26 financial year, it recorded 3.26 million CDU encounters.
Following a visit to the facility, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said the CDU also provides an important buffer against medicine supply disruptions.
“The size and scale of this operation are truly impressive, and the CDU plays an important role in buffering our medication stock levels. By maintaining sufficient stock to cover the following six to eight weeks it helps us mitigate the effects of supply disruptions, supports treatment adherence and protects the health of our residents,” Winde said.
“This is about building a healthcare system that is reliable, accessible and focused on patients.”
Before medication reaches patients, the CDU processes and verifies prescriptions and packs medicine specifically for each individual. Parcels are then distributed to healthcare facilities or approved alternative collection points.
Patients receive collection dates, allowing them to collect their medicine more efficiently and, at some locations, without entering a healthcare facility.
Western Cape Minister of Health and Wellness Mireille Wenger said this approach benefits both patients and healthcare professionals.
“For patients, this service makes collecting chronic medication far more convenient. Instead of spending hours waiting at a clinic, a patient may be able to collect their medicine quickly on the way to work or from a collection point closer to home,” Wenger said.
“This also enables better patient care. When stable patients do not need to wait inside a healthcare facility simply to collect medication, clinics are less congested and healthcare workers have more time to counsel patients, attend to acute cases and support those who need clinical care.”
Approximately 6% of parcels delivered to healthcare facilities are not collected. Patients receive SMS reminders before their collection dates and are encouraged to ensure their cellphone details remain updated with their healthcare facilities.
Wenger said bringing medicine closer to communities forms part of efforts to create a more accessible and patient-focused public healthcare system.
“By bringing chronic medication closer to patients and freeing healthcare professionals to spend more time caring for those who need them, the CDU is helping us build a healthcare system that treats every resident with care and dignity.”
Clinically stable patients receiving chronic medication can ask their healthcare team whether they qualify to receive their medicine through the CDU.
