A woman recently shared how Blinkit’s new instant doctor-call service approved her prescription medicines in less than a minute, raising serious concerns about patient safety and medical ethics. She had ordered Candiderma Plus, Cheston Cold and Flu tablets, and Azicip (an antibiotic). As soon as she added them to her cart, Blinkit connected her to a “general physician,” who approved the exact medicines without asking proper questions.

To verify the claim,media organization India Today tried the same process. They added Azithral, a prescription-only antibiotic, to the cart without uploading a prescription. Blinkit immediately connected them to a doctor named only “Dr Aiman.” The doctor approved the antibiotic within minutes but refused to share their full name, qualification, or workplace. Despite this refusal, a prescription was issued instantly. This lack of verification from a platform giving prescription drugs is alarming. Doctors strongly criticised the practice.

Doctors warn on Blinkit prescriptions

Dr Suranjit Chatterjee said prescribing medicines without checking medical history or reports is “completely wrong” and dangerous. Hepatologist Dr Cyriac Abby Philips called the service “stupid and dangerous,” saying Blinkit is trivialising healthcare by treating it like online shopping. Other doctors also said teleconsultation has value, but there is no shortcut to proper medical evaluation.

The bigger concern is India’s growing antibiotic resistance crisis. India has one of the highest rates of antimicrobial resistance in the world. Easy access to antibiotics, especially through quick-commerce apps, can make the problem worse by normalising self-medication and making prescriptions meaningless. WHO and Lancet studies show India already has extremely high levels of drug-resistant infections.

Importantly, India’s Telemedicine Guidelines do not allow antibiotics or antifungal medicines to be prescribed online except in rare cases. Doctors say fungal or bacterial infections cannot be diagnosed in a one-minute phone call.

The Blinkit episode raises an important question: Should healthcare be treated like instant delivery? Unlike groceries, wrong medical advice can cause serious harm. Experts say the line between convenience and safety must not be crossed, and stricter rules are needed to prevent misuse of prescription drugs.