Tamil Nadu Plans Nalam AI Medicine Slot Booking to Reduce Hospital Pharmacy Queues

The planned expansion could help support pharmacy teams in managing patient flow and dispensing workloads more efficiently.

Tamil Nadu has announced plans to introduce medicine slot booking through Nalam AI, its WhatsApp-based digital health service, allowing patients to schedule medicine collection at government hospital pharmacies.

Health and Family Welfare Minister K. G. Arunraj said that the feature would be implemented shortly to reduce overcrowding and waiting times.

Launched in July 2026 under the Nalam TN initiative, Nalam AI was introduced to simplify access to government healthcare services through WhatsApp. The platform initially covered 22 districts, enabling patients to generate outpatient (OP) tickets, book appointments in select departments, and receive prescriptions and laboratory reports digitally.

The proposed medicine slot booking facility will extend these services beyond outpatient registration and appointment management to medicine collection, another stage of the hospital visit where patients often face long queues.

Arunraj said the Health Department was working on the feature following complaints about delays at hospital pharmacies. Patients will be able to reserve a collection slot in advance through Nalam AI and visit the pharmacy at their allotted time.

“Most patients visit government hospitals between 8 am and 10 am to collect medicines, resulting in overcrowding and delays. Through this facility, beneficiaries can book their slots in advance and visit the hospital at the allotted time. This will prevent congestion and eliminate unnecessary waiting,” he said.

The government has not yet specified the launch date or identified the hospitals where medicine slot booking will initially be available.

The planned expansion could help support pharmacy teams in managing patient flow and dispensing workloads more efficiently.

Nalam AI forms part of Tamil Nadu’s broader effort to digitise public healthcare access. Through the existing WhatsApp service, patients can register for outpatient consultations without relying solely on physical registration counters.

Aadhaar is optional, and family members can register on behalf of patients using OTP verification. Walk-in registration also continues, providing an alternative for people who do not use the digital service.

The announcement comes alongside other healthcare initiatives discussed by the minister, including a proposal to upgrade Tambaram District Government Hospital into a medical college. The proposal will be discussed with Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay before any formal announcement.

Stay tuned for more such updates on Digital Health News