Getting a prescription for medication is set to get even easier in Spain after the approval of a new draft law.
The Spanish government has approved a preliminary draft of the Medicines Law, which among other things, will enable nurses and physiotherapists to prescribe medication, without the need for a doctor to assess you and sign off on it as well.
This is included in the pharmaceuticals section, one of the most important parts of the bill, which is a reform of an old decree from 2015.
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It aims to modernise pharmaceutical policy legislation, develop aspects related to the pricing system, allow substitution in cases of supply problems, and prescriptions from certain professionals in the health sciences field.
If passed, nurses and physiotherapists as well as certain other medical professionals will have the authority to prescribe prescription medications “within the scope of their powers”.
They will, however, only be allowed to prescribe certain medications which will be set out in another decree.
Another important point the legislation includes is that pharmacists will be able to make substitutions for medicines with the same active ingredients if the one prescribed is out of stock.
The aim of this is to reduce inefficiency in the system and get around the problem in an event of a supply issue with a particular medication.
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Currently, patients who can’t source the medications prescribed must either wait for more to be delivered to return to the health centre to receive another prescription. Often this means long waiting times, having to wait for a new appointment or an emergency one on the same day.
The bill will also allow patients to request a different medication with the same active ingredient, but a different brand or formulation, if it’s equivalent that is equally dispensable and within the selected price range.
In this case, the pharmacist will dispense the medication the patient chooses without charging any difference in price.
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If a requested medication is not in the same price range, the pharmacist will dispense the medication of the patient’s choice and charge the difference with respect to the price of the lowest-priced medication in the same group.
In addition the bill aims modify the current pricing system to improve competitiveness and boosting those medicines whose prescriptions have remained under 45 percent making a saving of approximately €1.2 billion.
Lastly, the Health Department also wanted to protect those with lowest incomes by raising co-payments for medicines for those making more, establishing new tiers and adding monthly limits, but Health Minister Mónica García has backtracked on this point and for the moment they will remain the same.
The bill will still need to pass in congress to be fully approved so it may take a while yet before this becomes law and is enters into force.
