Wednesday December 28, 2022 | 12:19 p.m.
The publication in the Official Gazette, during the early hours of Monday, of a change in digitized prescriptions, generated strong inconveniences for patients seeking to acquire medicines to treat their pathologies. Now, after hundreds of people complained about the impossibility of accessing the drugs, the Ministry of Health issued a statement warning that, for those with chronic treatments, the previous modality will be maintained until February 28.
The health portfolio indicated: “What was left without effect is the prescription of medicines through photos of the prescriptions sent by text message, messaging applications via the web, mail or fax, which had been exceptionally authorized during the Isolation Mandatory Preventive Social. These recipe photos are not digital or electronic recipes,” she stressed.
The Ministry of Health clarifies that the resolution signed today in no way annuls the use of electronic and/or digital prescriptions with electronic and/or digital signature, which are still fully valid.
– Ministry of Health of the Nation (@msalnacion) December 27, 2022
Published this Monday in the Official Gazette, resolution No. 3622/2022 repealed No. 696/20 of March 31, 2020, which enabled, during the coronavirus pandemic, the presentation at the pharmacy of prescriptions made on paper by medical professionals and sent as photo or scanned through messaging applications via web, mail or fax.
“The Ministry of Health, the Superintendence of Health Services, the Provincial Works and Social Services Council of the Argentine Republic, the Argentine Pharmaceutical Confederation, the Association of Owners of Argentine Pharmacies, the Argentine Federation of Chambers of Pharmacies and the Pharmaceutical Federation They accompany Ministerial Resolution 3622/22 and ratify the importance of returning to the prescription system prior to Mandatory Preventive Social Isolation (ASPO), which allows adequate traceability and safety of medicines and encourages their rational use,” they reported in a statement issued last night. .
It is that, as indicated in the joint document, “exceptionally, the use of photos of recipes sent by digital channels (Whatsapp and email) for chronic treatments with a validity of seven days, had been authorized for the duration of the ASPO, mechanism only acceptable in times of emergency”.
“As before the pandemic, the digital and/or electronic prescriptions that are accepted are those that have an electronic or digital signature, as established by the Digital Prescription Law, which is in the implementation phase, and the Electronic Signature Law” , explained from the health portfolio and added: “It is expected that, from the regulation of this law, the providers that have this service will be expanded and, therefore, the accessibility of the patients to the medicine will be simplified”.
The supply of prescription drugs electronically continues in force:
“The prescription of medicines through electronic or digital prescriptions continues the same as until now throughout the national territory. Any pharmacy, pharmacy services of health establishments and health establishments must supply the prescribed medicines with a handwritten or electronic signature”, they concluded.
