From April 1, prescription drugs will be sold both electronically and with a paper prescription, but pharmacies have caused an uproar over fears that there will be no possibility to buy drugs without a prescription.
“Starting April 1, prescription drugs will also be available at the pharmacy with an electronic prescription. This will make the prescription process more simple and efficient. At the same time, paper prescriptions will remain valid in Ukraine at least until the end of martial law,” the Ministry of Health reported.
The ministry reminds that the sale of prescription drugs and previously was carried out by the doctor’s prescription, in fact added only the possibility to use an electronic prescription.
“The Ministry of Health is not expanding or changing the list of prescription drugs”, – stressed the Ministry of Health.
At the same time, there was a stir in pharmacies due to fears that medications that are traditionally widely used by Ukrainians will be available only with a prescription.
In social networks patients report that in pharmacies “there are huge lines”, “pharmacy websites do not work”, “pharmacists do not know anything”.
At the same time, patients report that the list of drugs, the supply of which from April 1 will be available only with a prescription, are also included, in particular, antibiotics, cardiovascular drugs and painkillers.
Interfax-Ukraine awaits comments from pharmacy chains.
Ukraine will launch an electronic prescription for all prescription drugs in March 2022, Head of the Parliament Committee on Public Health, Medical Assistance and Medical Insurance MP Mykhailo Radutsky (Servant of the People faction) said.
“Three weeks ago, at a meeting of the committee, I initiated consideration of the issue of introducing an e-prescription. We agreed with the leadership of the Ministry of Health, the National Health Service and the State Expert Center on a clear timetable for the implementation of the project. In general terms, the plan is as follows: in September of this year, a tender is planned for the development of software for the e-prescription introduction in the electronic health care system. In early 2022, the Ministry of Health will conduct training for doctors and pharmacists on how to use the system. The E-prescription for insulin drugs will start working in October, for all prescription drugs – in March 2022,” he wrote on Facebook.
As Radutsky said, with the introduction of the e-prescription, the uncontrolled sale of drugs, in particular antibiotics, will stop, and control over the prescription of drugs will appear.
“Already in 2021, the patient’s electronic medical record should start working. All information about the patient, the treatment plan, prescribed medications will be collected there. With the advent of the e-prescription, the doctor will be forced to prescribe drugs not at his own discretion, but according to the treatment plan – in accordance with the approved protocols. Accordingly, it will be possible to control the correctness of the actions of a medical worker,” he said.
