HIBAPRESS – Rabat
The Ministry of Health and Social Protection sent an implementation memorandum (No. 18836) to the President of the National Council of Physicians, the President of the National Council of Pharmacists, and the President of the National Association of Private Hospitals, in which it called for strict adherence to the legal and regulatory provisions related to dispensing medications and billing for services within private clinics and similar health institutions.
The circular indicated the recording of a number of illegal practices within some clinics and hospitals, including dispensing medications or non-pharmaceutical pharmaceutical products free of charge or for a fee, outside the framework of the health institution; billing for medications at prices that do not comply with the hospital price (PH) legally determined; the absence of the pharmacist responsible for managing the drug stock, despite the law obligating his presence under an agreement with the health institution. The Ministry explained that these violations constitute a clear violation of the provisions of Law No. 17-04 as the Drug and Pharmacy Code, especially the articles: Article 69: which allows hospitals to keep a stock of medicines for internal use only, under the supervision of a responsible pharmacist; Article 72: which obligates hospitals to obtain supplies from licensed distributors and at the legally determined hospital prices; Article 73: which prohibits dispensing medications free of charge or for a fee outside the health institution. The Ministry of Health stressed at the conclusion of its circular that these provisions are legally binding, confirming that it will, along with the Moroccan Agency for Medicines and Health Products, inspect the violations committed and take the necessary legal measures against the violating institutions.
