“The measure constitutes an unacceptable affront to patient safety, the quality of healthcare provision and the very basic principle of medicine: rigorous, well-founded clinical assessment carried out by a doctor,” highlights the president of the OM, Carlos Cortes, quoted in a statement.

For the OM, it is “irresponsible and irrational” that the doctor prescribing controlled medication is replaced by the pharmacist, even in a situation of illness considered apparently mild.

“Expressing concern is an understatement, given the seriousness that the proposal could pose for healthcare and public health,” the president emphasises.

The OM was reacting to statements made on Tuesday by the Secretary of State for Health, who expressed openness to evaluating treatment in pharmacies for mild infections and asked for everyone's collaboration so that the dispensing of medicines in close proximity could be extended more quickly throughout the country.

Ana Povo said that the order is almost complete, involving professional associations, Infarmed and the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), creating conditions to assess the possibility of treating minor situations in pharmacies, such as some urinary infections.

The desire to see these situations handled by pharmacists – with previously defined protocols – was expressed several times by the president of the pharmacists.

The OM reminds that prescribing medication is a medical act, which requires accurate diagnosis, rigorous clinical evaluation and continuous monitoring of the patient.

“Doctors are properly qualified and trained to make decisions” and ensure that “each prescription is made based on scientific evidence and best clinical practice and not on criteria that have nothing to do with the exclusive well-being of the patient”, according to the OM.

Opposing practices of care, diagnosis, prescription and dispensing of medicines that may compromise the safety and efficacy of treatments, the body reiterates that these must be carried out by professionals “with the necessary training and scientific knowledge to evaluate patients”.

“The proposal goes against the principles of clear separation between prescribing and dispensing medicines, creating an evident conflict of interests that could compromise fundamental ethical aspects and the impartiality necessary in the patient treatment process,” he states.

The OM also demands that the Ministry of Health “does not embark on the easy-going and populism that the measures indicate”, indicating that any change in the law must be taken with consideration.

“The Ministry of Health should focus on what matters: strengthening the National Health Service, improving the working conditions of professionals and ensuring timely and quality access to medical care with justice and equity for the entire population,” says Carlos Cortes.

Considering that “patient safety cannot be exchanged for unjustified and dangerous practices”, the OM says it will remain “firm in the uncompromising defense of the quality of health care in Portugal” and will take “all necessary measures to contest it”.