site.btaBulgaria Must Fully Implement Electronic Prescriptions by End of 2024 - Health Minister Hinkov

Health Minister Hristo Hinkov argued that there is no going back on the issue of electronic prescriptions, and it is only a matter of time. In an interview with Nova TV, he indicated that the Ministry of Health listened to the protest of the Bulgarian Medical Association (BMA) because they had valid arguments. 

On November 2 the BMA called for parallel use of paper and electronic prescriptions over a certain period of time and the establishment of a digital register of all medical products available in Bulgaria.

Hinkov said that the change must be implemented fully and that for two years now, doctors have been able to write electronic prescriptions for all medications, but in the medical profession, there is a routine that is difficult to break in order to introduce new standards. Those who managed to overcome these difficulties with electronicization see the advantages, the Minister pointed out.

Hinkov stressed that Bulgaria should succeed in electronicizing all medicines by the end of 2024. The Minister of Health recalled that at a meeting with the Prime Minister, doctors, dentists and pharmacists, a decision was made to eliminate all the shortcomings of the electronic prescription system for antibiotics by April.

There is a small group of doctors for whom the issuance of electronic prescriptions will not be mandatory, said Hinkov and clarified that it is about elderly doctors who will have difficulty obtaining an electronic signature, do not have an outpatient practice and work after retirement.