In the spring, the Ministry of Health will introduce an electronic prescription for all prescription medicines

In the spring of 2023, the Ministry of Health will introduce an electronic prescription for all prescription medicines. The solution will be implemented gradually: in the absence of electricity or communication in a medical facility, a doctor can still write a prescription on a special paper form.

The government informed about this on February 9.

This list includes antibiotics, anticonvulsants, hormonal medicines (including birth control pills), medicines for the treatment of blood pressure, heart diseases, and others. The Ministry of Health emphasizes that a number of certain medicines for pain, cough or sedatives may also belong to drugs that must be sold by prescription.

The e-prescription can be obtained regardless of the presence of a declaration from a family doctor. At the same time, the patient must be registered in the Electronic Health Care System (any doctor can do this quickly). Doctors of all specialties of state, communal or private clinics, or a doctor-ST [sole trader], will be able to write out an e-prescription.

In order to get a prescription for prescription medicines, you need to make an appointment with the attending physician. During the examination, the doctor will create an electronic prescription, specifying the active substance, dosage, duration of the course and instructions for taking the medication. With the e-prescription, the patient will receive an SMS with the prescription number and a unique code, which he must inform the pharmacist at the pharmacy in order to receive the medicine.

In the case of long-term treatment or, if necessary, to continue treatment or prevention, a repeat electronic prescription can be obtained by contacting your family doctor remotely. For this purpose, the first appointment from the doctor must be recorded in the system.

A person receives an electronic prescription on a mobile phone, and the doctor prints a special information note with appointment details, a number and a code for paying off the prescription at the pharmacy.

• From November, narcotic medicines began to be dispensed by electronic prescription.
• From August 1, 2022, antibiotics will be sold only by e-prescription in Ukraine. To get a prescription, you need to go to your family doctor or any other medical facility, get an electronic prescription for the active ingredient, and pick up the medicine at the pharmacy.
• From January 1, 2022, medical institutions in Ukraine began to keep records of the total consumption of antimicrobial medicines, one of the largest groups of which are antibiotics. This is a mechanism for controlling the circulation of antibiotics, because incorrect and excessive use leads to the development of widespread resistance, a mechanism that reduces their effectiveness.