Pharmacy association supports idea of buying drugs from stores instead of hospitals

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Pharmacy association supports idea of buying drugs from stores instead of hospitals

By The Nation

 

Anutin Charnvirakul

 

The president of the Community Pharmacy Association of Thailand on Friday expressed support for Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s idea of allowing patients to buy their medications at pharmacies instead of waiting in long queues in hospitals.

 

 

Sirirat Tunpichart, president of the association, said the proposal was interesting because most drug stores have been certified the Office of the Food and Drug Administration.

 

Sirirat added that the pharmacists could also follow up on the effectiveness or otherwise of the medication they are taking. 

 

Anutin has floated the idea of allowing patients to get prescriptions for over-the-counter medications from hospitals to take to be filled at pharmacies, while allowing hospitals to maintain their lock on dispensing “specialised” medications.

 

Anutin said that the approach would help to solve the crowded conditions at hospitals, make it convenient for patients by cutting waiting time while also boosting income distribution among entrepreneurs.

 

“The queue for medical services should not be more than one hour. After meeting a doctor for about 20 minutes, a patient could take the prescription and get their medications from a pharmacy thus doing away with the need to queue again at the hospital's pharmacy department,” he said.

 

Sirirat also expressed support for the plan by the National Health Security Office (NHSO) to develop an app that would allow patients to take their medical records to show to drug stores and other hospitals.

 

Currently, each hospital keeps patients’ records and when patients want to be transferred to another medical facility, they must seek copies.

 

Sirirat said the applications would allow patients to monitor their own use of medications in consultation with pharmacists so that that they would not over-consume medicines and their risks from drugs would be reduced.

 

Sirirat said the association supports the project and would ensure that pharmacies nationwide meet the standards and can provide safe services to the people.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30374527

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-08-10

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[jonclark]

Actually aa very good idea. 

[legend49]

7 hours ago, jonclark said:

Actually aa very good idea. 

If it is a good idea it will never happen here.

[ThomasThBKK]

9 hours ago, jonclark said:

Actually aa very good idea. 

Must be, that's why the rest of the world already does it like this since over 100 years. 

Amazing thailand 

[ivor bigun]

If and when i use a private hospital i have always got my meds from farcino,far far cheaper.

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[robertson468]

2 hours ago, legend49 said:

If it is a good idea it will never happen here.

Wrong.  We ask the Hospital for the prescription and take it to our local Pharmacy, who then makes the medication up.  You only have to ask and if they refuse, take a photo of the prescription and take that to your Pharmacy.

[maxcorrigan]

Yes already happens i take my prescription from hospital and pickup at a local clinic here in Sattahip, have been doing it for some time now!