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All medicinal products containing narcotic substances, which are prescribed on yellow and green prescription forms, are now in electronic format and are processed through the National Health Information System (NHIS). The change was introduced by Information Services in line with the implementation of the Amendment to Ordinance No. 4 of 2009 on the conditions and procedure for prescribing and dispensing medicinal products, published in issue 51 of the State Gazette of June 13, 2023. All medicinal products, prescribed on yellow and green prescription forms issued prior 12.06. 2023 will be fulfilled according to the old procedure until their expiration date. Data shows that over 300 prescriptions for medicines containing narcotics have been issued in the first day of the introduction of e-prescriptions, 30 of them have already been fulfilled.
The total number of electronic prescriptions issued through the NHIS exceeds 32.5 million, with an average of over 50 000 per day.
The new functionality of the NHIS provides an opportunity to fulfill prescriptions for medicinal products containing narcotic substances nationwide. Previously, those prescriptions could only be processed by pharmacies within the region of issuance. In order to facilitate the work of doctors and pharmacists in the best possible way, the method of prescribing and dispensing medicinal products containing narcotic substances is identical to the other e-prescriptions.
According to the Regulation, the time limit for the execution of electronic prescriptions for controlled substances remains 7 days from the prescription date and the period of prescribed therapy should not exceed 30 days
With the implementation of electronic prescriptions for narcotic substances, there would be no need for doctors to visit regional health inspections (RHI) to obtain prescription forms.
The digitization of prescribing and dispensing of prescriptions for medicinal products containing narcotic substances eliminates the possibility of processing incorrect, duplicated, expired, or fake prescriptions. The data related the medicinal product, the doctor who prescribed it, and the pharmacist who fulfilled the e-prescription are validated in real time. The electronic prescription allows total traceability, transparency, and control over the process of prescribing and dispensing medicinal products.