The Ministry of Health reports that from August 2022 it will be possible to buy antibiotics only with a doctor's prescription.

Prerequisites for the introduction of e-prescription

According to statistics, every second Ukrainian buys antibiotics without a doctor's prescription, as a result, a person develops body resistance to treatment with this group of drugs, and in some cases, self-treatment leads to serious health consequences. If we consider the problem on a societal scale, more and more infections are becoming resistant to drugs. Therefore, in order to control the volume of prescriptions and use of antibiotics in Ukraine, a decision was made to sell the drugs by electronic prescription. Initially, the program of e-prescriptions for antibiotics was planned to be launched on April 1, 2022, but then it was postponed until August.

This innovation will be the first step in the implementation of electronic prescriptions for prescription drugs. The introduction of this program was planned for the period 2021-2023, but the military invasion is making its own adjustments.

Procedure for obtaining a prescription

In order to get an electronic prescription for antibiotics, a patient needs to go to their family doctor or any other doctor in the hospital, get a prescription for the active substance and buy the drug in a pharmacy. A prerequisite is the registration of the patient in the electronic health system (EHCS). To do this, you need to have a declaration with your family doctor or register on the spot when receiving a prescription.

If the hospital does not work with the EHCS during the transition period, the patient will be able to receive a paper prescription from the doctor, which will also be accepted by pharmacies. The transitional period for the purchase of antibiotics by e-prescription will last from August 1, 2022 until the end of the year.

Medical institutions located in the war zone, on the front line or in the temporarily occupied territories have the right to issue a paper prescription to the patient.

The patient buys the medicine at his own expense. However, it should be noted that the doctor gives a prescription only for the active substance, and the patient will independently choose the manufacturer and brand of the drug within his budget.

Liability for sale without a prescription

To control the sale of prescription drugs, the Ministry of Health has prepared appropriate amendments to the legislative acts of Ukraine: the first one will strengthen control over the sale of medicines in the state, the second will amend the Code of Administrative Offenses, which will make it possible to hold doctors and pharmacy workers accountable for selling drugs without a prescription.

The changes will take effect when they are adopted by the Verkhovna Rada, 3 months after the end of martial law.