MoPH instructs pharmacies to accept prescriptions issued by doctors remotely

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has issued a circular instructing public and private pharmacy managers to temporarily accept medical prescriptions issued by doctors working remotely, via e-mail or WhatsApp.

“Considering the public interest and due to the current circumstances of the high rates of Covid-19 among citizens and residents as well as doctors working in the health sector, it was decided temporarily to accept prescriptions issued by doctors working remotely by email or WhatsApp of Doctor and patient for diseases that do not require the patient to attend clinic, or chronic conditions supervised by the competent doctor,” the circular issued by Dr Aisha Ibrahim Al-Nassari, Director of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Control, said.

To be accepted, the prescription must contain full data, especially the date of issuance, the doctor's license number, the patient's personal number. The validity of such prescription is only one week from the date of issuance.

Excluded from this is the narcotic drugs and dangerous psychotropic substances subject to Law No. (9) of 1987 on control of drugs, dangerous psychotropic substances, and psychoactive drugs subject to Law No. (19) of 1993 regulating the circulation of psychoactive substances.