KYIV. UkraineGate . 9 . October .2022 | Society .
In November, Ukraine introduces an electronic prescription for narcotic drugs for palliative patients.
Citation
“The introduction of an electronic prescription for the release of narcotic drugs from November will greatly simplify access to this group of drugs for patients in need of palliative care. After all, the patient can contact the doctor with the available means of communication and receive an e-prescription to continue treatment. In this case, the patient will receive an SMS with a prescription number and a unique confirmation code on his phone. To receive the medicinal product at the pharmacy, it is enough for the patient or his representative to give the pharmacist the prescription number and its confirmation code. Thus, patients with chronic diseases do not need to spend time on constant visits to the doctor in order to re-receive the necessary medicines to continue the course of treatment,” the Ministry of Health said.
The ministry explained the innovations by the fact that today the procedure is complicated: patients who require long-term treatment can receive prescriptions only for a limited amount of drugs (for palliative patients, it is allowed to write prescriptions for drugs containing narcotic substances in the amount provided for a fifteen-day course of treatment). Moreover, this recipe is valid for only 10 days. Thus, patients or their representatives should visit the doctor several times a month to get a prescription to continue the course of treatment.
Citation
“An electronic prescription for opioid analgesics for patients receiving palliative care can be prescribed by the doctor in charge of treating the patient. To do this, the doctor must be registered in the electronic health care system. However, if the doctor does not work in the EHR yet, he will write a paper prescription to the patient, “the Ministry of Health said.
Prescription drugs can still be obtained in pharmacies that have the appropriate license to dispense narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors. The ministry stressed that pain relief drugs are an important component of palliative care. Therefore, the plans are to include these drugs in the list of drugs that are subject to reimbursement. That is, patients will be able to receive them free of charge or with surcharge.
Add
Every year, on the second Saturday of October, the world celebrates Hospice and Palliative Care Day.
Palliative care helps people who are faced with severe or incurable diseases to improve their quality of life.
It includes observation of the patient, care for his psychological state, proper nutrition, necessary tests and examinations, rehabilitation. But the main thing is quick access to effective anesthesia provided by narcotic and psychotropic drugs.
Source: Ukrgate
