Kanta.fi: You can now obtain medicines in Portugal on a Finnish electronic prescription – medicines are available in Finland on Portuguese and Croatian prescriptions
31.8.2020
Medicines are gradually becoming available on Finnish electronic prescriptions in other European countries and, similarly, in Finland on prescriptions from other countries. In Portugal, you can obtain medicines on a Finnish prescription initially from one pharmacy, with the service set to be extended to other pharmacies later.
Medicines can be bought abroad on a Finnish prescription, provided that you have given your consent in My Kanta Pages on passing information to a foreign pharmacy.
The movement of prescriptions between countries benefits not only tourists, but also those living abroad and those who work outside their own country.
“There are Finns living in Portugal who may need to obtain medicines on their own country’s electronic prescriptions,” says Customer Relations Manager Sini Palo from Kela’s Kanta Services.
Before Portugal, it has already been possible to obtain drugs on a Finnish prescription in Estonia and Croatia. The service is already extensively used in Estonia.
“Although the volumes of dispensed prescriptions have varied during the spring and summer due to the tourism restrictions, medicines were bought on Finnish prescriptions more than 800 times in Estonian pharmacies in July. This corresponded to the level of July last year,” Sini Palo says.
Purchasing a prescription drug on a Finnish prescription abroad
- In order to purchase medicines abroad, the citizen needs to have given their consent in My Kanta Pages to passing their information to a foreign pharmacy. You need to have your passport or ID card with you at the pharmacy.
- You can apply for Kela reimbursements for foreign drug purchases later in Finland.
- Obtaining narcotic drugs or central nervous system (CNS) drugs that require an original prescription is not possible abroad.
- In Portugal, pharmacies will join the scheme gradually, so please check in advance that a European electronic prescription is accepted at the pharmacy.
Since June this year, medicines have been available from Finnish pharmacies on an Estonian prescription. Portugal and Croatia are now joining, and other European countries will gradually come on board.
Source: Kanta.fi