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At “Mēness aptieka”, the demand for home delivery of prescription drugs is growing

“Mēness aptieka” helps to solve the issue of delivery and receiving of prescription drugs for whom it is difficult to do so in a pharmacy. In the first weeks of the new year, the number of customers who use this service at “Mēness aptieka” has increased by 20%.

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Currently, more and more people are unable to leave their homes. Chronic illnesses, weak immunity, functional disorders and limitations caused by Covid-19 have also been accompanied by legitimate concerns about falling on slippery pavements. “Mēness aptieka” helps to solve the issue of delivery and receiving of prescription drugs for whom it is difficult to do so in a pharmacy. In the first weeks of the new year, the number of customers who use this service at “Mēness aptieka” has increased by 20%.

Preconditions have been created for this new pharmacy service to be easily accessible to Latvian residents at “Mēness aptieka”. The pharmacist provides consultations and accepts remote orders for the delivery of medicines, including prescription medicines and also state-reimbursed medicines and medical devices, to home. Medicines are delivered to home are mainly by a courier and you can pay for the medicines and the service using a payment card.

Vadims Brižaņs, pharmacist, pharmacy manager and online consultant at “Mēness aptieka”: “We do much to make this new pharmacy service easily accessible, and the people of Latvia have appreciated it under the conditions of a pandemic. The number of orders is increasing every week. To receive the service, you need to call the online pharmacist of “Mēness aptieka” by phone. You can always find out the current time of providing services and the conditions on our website. We have also prepared a short video to better understand how the home delivery of medicines is implemented. Maybe the person who has been prescribed the medicine lives far away from the pharmacy, maybe their movement is restricted by a medical condition – chronic ailments, weak immunity, functional disorders – or some other important reason prevents it, which currently especially for the elderly is icy and slippery sidewalks. We feel responsible for ensuring that medicines are delivered safely to these patients as well.”

To receive the service, you need to call the online pharmacist of “Mēness aptieka” by phone 8555 on working days from 9.00 to 18.00. In order for a pharmacist to identify the person they are talking to over the phone, the person must provide their name, address and personal identification number. In the E-health system, the pharmacist checks which medicines have been prescribed and advises on their use. If an international non-proprietary name of a medicinal product has been prescribed, the pharmacist explains which medicine is the cheapest and which medicine the pharmacy may provide, explains the frequency of use of the prescribed medicine, the conditions for storing it, and answers any questions the customer may have regarding the use of this medicine. The pharmacist asks the customer to be at home when the medicine could be delivered and discusses the payment arrangements. Depending on the situation, the right to deliver the medicine is held by the pharmacist, the pharmacist’s assistant or medical practitioner, as well as the courier, a representative of voluntary organizations and associations, a caregiver and a social work specialist who provides social care services. Several pharmacists are responsible for processing the order. The patient can also order the necessary over-the-counter medication at the same time. They will be packaged separately from prescription drugs, but can be delivered as a single order. You can always find out the current time of providing services and the conditions at: www.menessaptieka.lv; video https://failiem.lv/u/xvtvww649.

It is important that medicines are properly packaged when being delivered to your home, which means in double packaging. The outer package contains the recipient’s name, address, contact phone number, as well as an indication of the additional identification required if narcotic and psychotropic drugs will be delivered (although only a pharmacist or a pharmacist’s assistant may deliver them and the recipient will have to provide their personal identification number and present an identification document). Whereas indicated on the inner package of the medicine will be the recipient’s name, surname, personal identification number and address, the name of the corresponding pharmacy, its address, opening hours, the name and surname of the contact person at the pharmacy and a telephone number to which one can call in case if there are any questions about the received medicine.

The possibility to receive such a service in Latvia is still new. The circumstances of the crisis caused by Covid-19 have created an objective need for it, therefore changes have been made in the regulatory enactments, which provide opportunities to expand the range of pharmaceutical care services.

In Latvia, 241 “Mēness aptieka” pharmacy employ 663 pharmacists and pharmacist assistants, serving 760,000 customers every month. Exactly pharmacist consultations are the most frequently used pharmacy service even during a pandemic, and, furthermore, approximately every 10th pharmacy visit is a consultation without a purchase.

            “Mēness aptieka” is the most loved and responsible brand in the pharmaceutical industry in Latvia. For the second year in a row, “Mēness aptieka” has won first place in the pharmaceutical industry in a public survey which uses a special internationally recognized methodology. Particular emphasis should be put on “Mēness aptieka’s” position in the field of social responsibility (HUMAN), in which “Mēness aptieka”, ranking 1st in the pharmaceutical industry, ranks 25th in the overall TOP of the most loved brands.

With the highest result (87.7%), “Mēness aptieka” has become a leader in customer service in the field of pharmacy in Latvia. In October and November 2020, a survey of the pharmaceutical sector was carried out by “Dive Group”, in order to find out which pharmacy company has the best customer service in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

More information – Līga Ribkinska, phone: +371 22302996, liga.ribkinska@repharm.lv