Prescription medicines can be purchased only with a prescription from a doctor, because they may cause certain threats and risks to a person’s health. Some patients have the right to receive prescription medicines that are fully or partially compensated by the State.
What are prescription medicines?
Prescription medicines are those:
- the pharmacological properties of which and possible adverse reaction without medical supervision may cause a direct or indirect threat to health
- that require additional research
- that contain a significant amount of narcotic or psychotropic substances
- that create a risk of medicinal abuse, addiction or may be used for illegal purposes
They can only be purchased with a prescription from a doctor because of these factors.
example Antibiotics, antidepressants and sleep aid medication.
Types of prescriptions
In Latvia, two types of prescriptions are used:
1. Ordinary prescription
- used for most prescription medicines
- Issued in the unified electronic information system or on the blue-coloured printed form
note Valid for 3 months (for longer treatment a doctor may put a period of up to 1 year)
2. Special prescription
- used for medicine partly or fully compensated by the State, as well as for narcotic, psychotropic medicines and narcotic pain medication
- issued in the unified electronic information system or on the pink-coloured printed form
note Valid for 90 days (for some medication – 7 days)
Compensated prescription medicines
Some patients have the right to receive prescription medicines that are fully or partially compensated by the state.
In 2013, the Constitutional Court of Latvia in the case concerning the system of compensated prescription medicines held that:
" …the state obligation to ensure the availability of medicines derives from Article 111 of the Constitution (…) however, the scope of implementation of these rights may depend on the resources available to the state.”
In other words, the State has to carefully allocate resources and determine:
- the persons eligible for compensated prescription medicines
- the type of compensated prescription medicines
- the conditions for the receipt of compensated prescription medicines
The state obligation to provide compensated prescription medicines also derives from the European Social Charter which states in Article 13:
“Anyone without adequate resources has the right to social and medical assistance”.
Such medicines are included in the list of reimbursable medicinal products.
note The State pays 50%, 75% or 100% of the price, depending on the diagnosis and the medicine prescribed.