Antibiotics Will Be Sold Only By Electronic Prescription From April 2022 - Health Ministry

First Deputy Minister of Health Oleksandr Komarida states that from April 1, 2022, antibiotics will be sold only by electronic prescription.

He announced this in an interview with Ukrinform, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"From April 1 of next year, we are introducing the dispensing of antibiotics exclusively by electronic prescription. And further, by the end of the year, we plan to expand so that all prescription drugs in Ukraine are dispensed exclusively by electronic prescription. We are completely moving away from paper prescriptions and are switching exclusively to electronic ones, which have performed very well within the framework of the Affordable Medicines reimbursement program,” he said.

According to him, an electronic prescription works in Ukraine, both people and doctors already know what it is.

Komarida noted that the Ministry of Health wants to establish effective control mechanisms for the release of prescription drugs and is starting with antibiotics to combat antibiotic resistance.

"In order to receive an electronic prescription, you need to contact your family doctor. Then the doctor writes out a prescription in the electronic health care system, the patient receives a code and this code is shown at the pharmacy. A pharmacist in the health care system opens and looks at what was prescribed by the doctor to this patient," he said.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, in August, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed the Ministry of Health to develop a mechanism for introducing a ban on the sale of antibiotics without an electronic prescription within a month.

Earlier in August, the Member of Parliament, chairperson of the parliamentary committee on the health of the nation, medical care and health insurance Mykhailo Radutskyi (Servant of the People faction) stated that Ukraine will launch an electronic prescription system for all prescription drugs in March 2022.