Department of Posts Launches Nationwide Medicine Delivery Service for Ex-Servicemen

New Delhi, Oct 2025 : The Department of Posts (DoP) has launched a dedicated medicine delivery service for ex-servicemen, in collaboration with the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW), the Ministry of Communications announced on Friday.

The initiative aims to ensure the pickup, booking, transmission, and doorstep delivery of medicines that are unavailable at the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) polyclinics.

According to the Ministry, under this arrangement, medicines will be procured and packaged by Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) operating Common Service Centres (CSCs) at ECHS polyclinics. The logistics and last-mile delivery will be managed through India Post’s extensive and reliable delivery network.

“This arrangement ensures that medicines reach ECHS beneficiaries efficiently, securely, and across all corners of the country,” the Ministry said in a statement.

The service was initially piloted in Delhi on July 31, where it received a highly encouraging response. Following the success of the pilot, which saw the delivery of over 1,700 packets of medicines, the initiative was expanded across the National Capital Region (NCR), including parts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Building on this momentum, the DoP has now mapped 458 ECHS locations nationwide, enabling pan-India rollout of the service from October 17.

The Ministry highlighted that the initiative exemplifies India Post’s commitment to leveraging its extensive postal infrastructure to support citizen welfare and public service delivery. “This service will ensure timely and reliable delivery of medicines to ECHS beneficiaries, reaffirming India Post’s role as a trusted partner in nation-building and welfare,” it added.

In a related development, the Department of Posts recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Packaging to develop sustainable and innovative packaging solutions for postal logistics. The collaboration focuses on introducing eco-friendly, cost-efficient, durable, lightweight, and shockproof packaging materials as alternatives to conventional options like corrugated boxes and cloth wraps.