Estonians and Latvians' ePrescriptions now move across borders
Starting today, citizens of Estonia and Latvia can use cross-border ePrescription and health data summary services in each other's countries. This step marks a significant development in the healthcare cooperation between the two countries, making Latvia the 11th country with which Estonia practices such data exchange.
For Estonians visiting Latvia, this means the availability of prescription medications in local pharmacies based on Estonian ePrescriptions. Additionally, medical professionals can access health data summaries when necessary to provide the best possible treatment in emergency needs. The same conveniences are available to Latvian citizens in Estonia.
"When Estonia and Finland were the first countries in the European Union to start exchanging ePrescriptions across borders in 2019, the joy is even greater now with Latvia's accession. The free movement of services is one of the fundamental principles of the European Union: for it to work, cross-border data movement is necessary. The ability to pick up your prescription medicine in another country or share your health data with a doctor in another country is more than just a convenience – it's also a piece of security and unity," said Nele Labi, Deputy Secretary-General for Innovation at the Ministry of Social Affairs.
"I am pleased that in addition to Finland, we have also been able to open services with our southern neighbors," said Margus Arm, Director of the Estonian Health and Welfare Information Systems Centre (TEHIK). "Statistics show that the cross-border ePrescription service is used most in neighboring countries, and we have been looking forward to Latvia's accession for a long time. This is particularly good news for the residents of the border towns Valga and Valka, but the news is also timely more broadly, considering the upcoming tourism season. The exchange of health data between EU member states greatly simplifies travel, as people no longer have to worry about the availability of their health data and prescription medicines."
The issuance of prescription medicines in Latvia works the same way as in Estonia: at the pharmacy, you need to present an ID card or passport, after which the pharmacist can access ePrescriptions based on the personal identification code. Health data summaries can be requested by healthcare workers in case of unexpected medical needs, such as trauma.
To date, 25 European countries have joined the cross-border data exchange project, opening their ePrescription and health data summary services according to national capabilities. In addition to Latvia, full data exchange is already operational with Spain, Croatia, Greece, and Portugal. Services are partially open with the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, France, Finland, and the Czech Republic. The near future expects the accession of Lithuania and Cyprus, as well as the expansion of Czech and Finnish services.
This not only improves cooperation between the two neighboring countries in the healthcare sector but also offers citizens more convenient and safer options for managing their health data and obtaining medicines while abroad.
More detailed information about all participating countries and services can be found on the TEHIK website: https://www.tehik.ee/en/cross-border-data-exchange
Additionally, you can watch a video clip introducing TEHIK's e-health sector on TEHIK's YouTube, discussing not only cross-border ePrescriptions but also topics like personalized medicine and the new health portal. Enjoy watching!
