Family Physicians Will Now Be Able to Prescribe Medication for ‘Chronic’ Patients
Dr. Bil Şenoğlu Korut, a Family Physician at the Balçova 3 No. Korutürk Family Health Center in İzmir, said that patients with chronic conditions who require regular medication will now be able to have prescriptions written by their family doctors without needing to go to hospitals.
The Ministry of Health has announced a regulation allowing family physicians to prescribe medication for chronic patients.
Dr. Korut has explained that patients with chronic conditions who regularly use medication often faced difficulties accessing specialists, making it challenging to get their prescriptions. “Our chronic patients were having a hard time getting their medications because sometimes they struggled to access specialist doctors. This regulation, allowing them to get their prescriptions from family physicians, is a positive development. It removes the barrier to accessing medication. Moreover, patients who only needed a prescription for a regular medication often had to visit a specialist, which could make the specialist’s schedule more congested, preventing other patients from receiving care. With this new decision, all these issues should be resolved,” he said.
‘THE BARRIER TO ACCESSING MEDICATION WILL BE REMOVED’
Dr. Korut emphasized that family physicians could now collaborate with specialists to prescribe medications for chronic patients. “During the process of prescribing medications and planning the treatment of chronic patients, we will work in coordination with specialists. I believe this will make things easier both for specialists and patients. Particularly for patients using medications like blood thinners, even a single day of missed medication is not advisable. However, patients sometimes had to miss their medication due to difficulties in getting an appointment. This situation also increased the risks for patients. With this regulation, patients will be able to get their medications from family physicians, eliminating all the problems we’ve mentioned. I think this decision by the Ministry of Health will lead to positive outcomes,” he added.
‘A STUDY SHOULD BE CONDUCTED TO ASSESS UNUSED MEDICATIONS’
Dr. Korut also highlighted the importance and strategic nature of medications. “Sometimes, when patients switch medications or stop using them, they end up with a significant amount of unused medication, which they may bring to us. I think there should be a study on how to assess and handle these leftover medications. I believe we could find ways to distribute them to patients in need,” he stated.
