Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 11 Apr 2000

Vol. 517 No. 6

Written Answers. - Medical Prescriptions.

Bernard Allen

Question:

248 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps, if any, he has taken to ensure that doctors comply with minimum standards in relation to prescriptions so that they are written clearly and legibly and include the prescriber's name, address and occupation in addition to hand-written signatures and the patient's name and other personal details are clearly marked along with the name label for the pharmaceutical form of the medicine and instructions for treatment. [10640/00]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin):

There is a duty of care on all medical professionals to ensure the prescriptions they issue contain all the necessary information to allow them to be filled in a proper manner. However, I will ask the health boards to use appropriate fora to remind doctors of the need to ensure that prescriptions contain all the necessary information in a way that allows for their proper dispensing.