VIDEO: Writing a Prescription Takes 7-8 Minutes, Opposition MP Says

Armenuhie Kyureghyan, an MP from the “Armenia” parliamentary faction, addressed Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan, stating that it takes 7-8 minutes to write a single prescription, particularly if the internet is available and the system is not overloaded.

“I have passed through the polyclinics of Vanadzor, and in the best-case scenario, if the internet is available and the system is not overloaded, writing one prescription takes 7-8 minutes,” Kyureghyan said.

The MP recalled that the minister claimed that it would only take 2 minutes for a doctor to write a prescription. Kyureghyan highlighted that if multiple prescriptions are written for one patient, it would take 10-15 minutes, as the doctor also needs to hand the paper prescription to the patient.

The opposition MP questioned whether this increased the doctor’s workload and if it reduces the number of patients receiving medical services from doctors. “Are we decreasing the number of patients served by doctors? Are we raising the doctor’s workload without considering a salary increase? We are adding significant strain on the physician without raising their salaries,” she pointed out.

In response, Anahit Avanesyan noted that the previous paper version required more time, especially for filling it out manually. According to Avanesyan, in the case of electronic prescriptions, patient information is automatically generated, leaving the physician to only fill in the medications on the prescription. “In the best case, it takes 2-3 minutes, but yes, it may take 7-8 minutes in the absence of certain skills,” she said, adding that for chronic patients, the same entries do not need to be filled out the following month.

She announced plans to also digitize patient histories and expressed confusion as to why a physician would write a paper prescription to a patient. Kyureghyan explained that the paper version specifies which medications the patient must take, when, and in what dosage.