Czech ePrescriptions will soon be valid for pick up abroad

The Czech system of online prescriptions eRecept could soon allow users to pick up medicine prescribed by Czech doctors from pharmacies in other countries. At the moment, these include Finland, Estonia, Croatia, and Portugal, according to iDnes.

Sweden, together with Poland, Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Ireland, Hungary, Latvia, Italy, and Lithuania could also join in the future.

Klára Brunclíková, spokeswoman for the State Institute for Drug Control (SÚKL) told iDnes that countries can join the system, which is based on voluntary participation, provided that they have an electronic system for issuing prescriptions.  

To be part of this, Czechia must successfully pass a test whose date the SÚKL will receive in the next few days. After that, the EU will set the date when the Czech Republic can join the project.

Still, the optional nature of the system means that pharmacies are not required to accept electronic prescriptions issued in another EU country.

Talking about how the process will work, Brunclíková said "the patient submits an eRecept and the foreign pharmacist dispenses a medicine with the same active ingredient." 

Given that rules for dispensing prescriptions differ from country to country, Czech citizens might have to present their passports or another form of identification to pick up the eRecept from a pharmacy abroad.

The eRecept system, requiring online prescriptions, became mandatory in Czechia five years ago and expanded to include a shared medical record, vouchers for medical devices, as well as other functionalities. The coronavirus pandemic made its benefits even more apparent and contributed to its wider adoption.