“Get medicines at pharmacies” ready for roll-out tomorrow
The National Health Security Office (NHSO) will implement the “Get medicines at pharmacies” project tomorrow (October 1), initially at 50 hospitals and more than 500 approved drug stores.
It is an initiative of the Ministry of Public Health to ease crowded conditions at hospital dispensaries. Patients can now present a prescription from physician for medicines at modern pharmacies near their homes.
“To get prescribed drugs at pharmacies, patients must meet the following criteria. They must hold a state-welfare gold card and being diagnosed with either diabetes, high blood pressure, mental illness or other uncomplicated chronic diseases.” said Dr Prajakwich Lepnak, Deputy Secretary of NHSO.
Most importantly, it must be done with mutual consent of the physician and the patient, he added.
Prajakwich further explained that the NHSO had established a web-based programme for pharmacists to send reports of prescribed drugs supplied to patients, which will enable hospitals to keep track of their patients’ drug usage.
Siripan Muensin, Director of NHSO’s Bureau of Information Technology, said the programme would send data of prescribed drugs handed out at pharmacies to NHSO for the office to pay the costs every 15 days.
“We expect to add a feature to authenticate patient’s identity with a Smart Card within the next 3-6 months,” said Siripan.
