Health Ministry Moves to Electronic System

TBILISI – Georgia’s Health Minister David Sergeyenko said Thursday that the Ministry is moving to a new electronic system for prescriptions.

Sergeyenko said the e-prescription system began August 1 and around 30 pharmacies, and medical centers are involved in the pilot test.

All pharmacies in the country will eventually move to the new system, which will become obligatory for all pharmacies beginning in September, said Sergeyenko.

Under the new system, patients will now only need an ID card when visiting a clinic or pharmacy. Doctors will be able to directly send their patients’ prescription details to pharmacy computers, with the goal of cutting down the number of clerical mistakes for patients.

“The new system enables us to eliminate one of the main shortcomings of the health care system…too many prescriptions by certain doctors,” Sergeyenko said.

The next step of the initiative will be to transfer patients’ medical data and research into an electronic database.

According to the Deputy Health Minister Nino Berdzuli, during the test run of the new system, several technical shortcomings appeared but were quickly resolved.

By Thea Morrison
Edited by Nicholas Waller