Government's New Decision on Visits for Receiving Reimbursable Medications

Given the necessity to improve the procedure for issuing and dispensing electronic prescriptions for reimbursable medications, the Government has adopted a new decision. According to this decision, it is proposed that patients entitled to receive reimbursable medications will be prescribed these medications for one month upon the first prescription. If there are no complaints from the patient thereafter, they will be issued prescriptions for quantities intended for three months.

Currently, the majority of patients entitled to receive reimbursable medications are those with chronic diseases, who continuously receive the same medication through electronic prescriptions. However, these patients are required to visit their doctors each month to obtain the necessary medication.

As part of the justification, starting from 2025, a program will be launched in Armenia to implement an experimental mechanism for the reimbursement of medications provided to patients with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes under free and preferential terms guaranteed by the state. In this framework, the distribution of reimbursable medications will be carried out by a competent authority based on a public offer agreement signed with pharmacies.

The adoption of this decision will contribute to improving the quality of medical assistance and service, while reducing the number of visits to doctors and pharmacies for the purpose of obtaining medications.

Simultaneously, it is proposed to extend the validity period of the reimbursable prescription to 90 days, allowing patients to obtain reimbursable medications within this 90-day period instead of the previous 30 days. As a result, it is expected that this will enhance the quality of medical assistance and service, reduce potential inconveniences for the population, and lessen the burden on doctors.