Jamaica Health Ministry Permits Electronic Transmission of Prescriptions

The Ministry of Health and Wellness in Jamaica has advised that obtaining a prescription will no longer necessitate a doctor's visit because the document may now be delivered electronically. However, consent must be obtained from the patient and involved parties must follow Data Protection Act rules to ensure that confidential information is kept safe.

The announcement was made by the Ministry on Friday, after which it sought consultation from the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC). According to the AGC, based on Regulation 20 of the Pharmacy Regulations, prescription for medicines via electronic means is legal in Jamaica from now on.

The Ministry issued a warning that because medication data contains highly sensitive personal information, organizations sending prescriptions electronically must ensure that the system meets the legal standards set forth in the Government of Jamaica's Data Protection Act 2020. Alternatively, the process for transferring personal data is compliant with the GDPR, and it can be GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) compliant in order to protect patient data privacy and security throughout the end-to-end operations.

“Furthermore, government agencies should be able to audit and confirm the claims of privacy, data protection, cyber threats, and encryption if applicable to the system. If there are existing best practices, they should be followed.

The document also outlined that informed consent should be in writing and reflect an agreement to participate in any treatment, as well as permission for their data to be transmitted electronically to other medical professionals. These consent forms should be easily available for review.

Furthermore, the Ministry stated that patients should be able to choose their service, but partially completed prescriptions should be available for dispensing with the rest quantity by the same or another pharmacy of the patient's choice, which might or may not be in the network.

"The system should also be able to avoid double dispensing of medicines in the light of the fact that both physical and electronic copies are accessible, and there are adequate checks and balances in the system to prevent this from happening," it added.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has announced the formation of a micro team of internal staff to handle current and emerging prescription-related issues.