Moldovan MoH reduces list of recipe-free medicines

Staring from this week, Moldovan drug stores will significantly decrease the number of medicines that can be bought without recipes, said Minister of Health Andrei Usatii at a news conference on October 12.

He said that all types of antibiotics and the paracetamol have been removed from this list.

In his words, the changes are made for the benefit of citizens, as many people use to buy medicines without consulting doctors and without knowing their exact diagnosis.

Andrei Usatii said that drug stores that infringe on this decision will be deprived of their license. At the same time, he said that a pharmacologist will work in each Moldovan health institution, being in charge of monitoring the prescription of medicines.

«It has been demonstrated, that in 50% the prescription of more than three medicines does not treat the patients; on the contrary, this may lead to other health problems,» said the minister.

Usatii also said that the recipe will encompass the chemical composition of medicines and not the commercial name of the drugs, as some doctors earn additional profit by cooperating with certain drug stores and by prescribing more expensive medicines that can be replaced with other drugs sold at reasonable prices.

He said that over the past eight months of 2012, the prices on medicines in Moldova have decreased 8.72% against the equivalent period of 2011.

Adapted from Infotag