Doctors, pharmacies face penalties for prescriptions in new draft law
The Health Ministry is poised to introduce fines for doctors who exceed prescription limits and pharmacies that fail to provide generic medicines wherever possible.
Kathimerini understands that the measures will be included in a large draft law that the ministry is preparing with the aim of tying up a number of loose ends in the health sector.
Doctors who fail to abide by the prescription quotas introduced by main healthcare provider EOPYY will be fined between 500 and 5,000 euros, suspended from prescribing drugs for two to 12 months or banned from working with the organization, depending on how frequently they exceed the limit.
Pharmacies will face similar sanctions if they fail to inform patients of the generic alternative to the drugs they need. Customers will have to sign their prescriptions, confirming that their pharmacists informed them about the generic option if they choose brand name drugs instead. Fines will range from 500 to 5,000 euros, while EOPYY will also be able to suspend its cooperation with pharmacies for up to six months.
