Measures in pipeline to prevent prescription fraud
Health Minister Adonis Geordiadis announced that plans are afoot for a new system for confirming prescription via text message to people’s mobile phones, as with electronic banking transactions.
He made his remarks to Skai TV after the dismantling of bogus drug prescription rings on Monday that caused a €3.5 million loss to Greece’s primary healthcare provider, EOPYY.
The Health Ministry and competent organizations are considering new safety measures to prevent the abuse of citizens’ AMKA (Social Security number) as checks continue for excesses in doctors’ prescriptions, as well as for the route of drugs through the system in short supply.
The drug prescription rings highlighted the “vulnerable” points in the system, which can be exploited by anyone with the intent to defraud. One of these points is the lack of knowledge on the part of citizens regarding the use of the AMKA for prescribing medicines and examinations.
