The patient could have died because this information was missing from the prescription. Pharmacists are sounding the alarm.
"In 2018, a similar situation occurred at a Wrocław pharmacy where a patient from Gorzów Wielkopolski was dispensed a four-times stronger medication . The pharmacy employee was unable to contact the woman, so she turned to the Gorzów Police for help. Officers went to the address listed on the prescription, but found no one. After talking to neighbors, they managed to locate the woman's daughter's address. However, no one answered there either. Only after speaking with more neighbors did the police yield results. The police obtained the woman's daughter's phone number and informed her of the situation," writes the author of the June 6, 2025 petition regarding the inclusion of the patient's phone number on e-prescriptions .
" An error in Katowice could have also ended tragically. A pharmacy employee dispensed an overly strong dose of a blood pressure medication. Police officers from Precinct I informed him of the dangerous mistake in time . Instead of a smaller dose, the pharmacist dispensed a package with a dose twice as strong. The pharmacist noticed the mistake. The woman immediately contacted the police. She called the officer on duty at the Jaworzno police station and informed him of her mistake. The information immediately reached Katowice. Just a few minutes after receiving the information, police officers from Precinct I were at the apartment of the man who bought the medication. Fortunately, the man had not yet taken the medication," he adds, adding another story that could have ended tragically.
As a reminder, the Ministry of Health rejected a petition from pharmacists demanding that a patient's phone number be included on prescriptions. The ministry justified its decision by saying that contact information is already available in the Patient's Online Account .
Pharmacists emphasize, however, that the lack of a telephone number on the prescription makes it difficult to contact the doctor quickly in emergencies, for example in the event of errors in dispensing medications that may pose a risk to the patient's health.
The June 6 petition outlined specific situations where a lack of direct contact prevented rapid intervention.
According to pharmacists, a telephone number on prescriptions could save health and even life, which is why they are calling for the changes to be reconsidered.
"Placing a patient's phone number on prescriptions has been a long-standing demand from pharmacists. The issue is now resurfacing, given the changes the Ministry of Health is making to the rules for issuing and dispensing prescriptions. Why, while amending and correcting subsequent regulations, couldn't we immediately introduce regulations that are truly useful and increase patient safety? I would like to point out that these days, virtually everyone has a phone, including a cell phone, and it's by far the fastest and most reliable way to contact patients," writes the petition's author.
The author of the petition also refers to the negative consideration of the previous petition.
" The Ministry of Health failed to address the most important issue raised in the document. According to government data from 2024, only 48% of Poles use IKP. There is no chance that every person in Poland will use IKP, and the education process on this issue is ongoing, which is a waste of time, because e-prescriptions are already being issued in real time," the letter emphasizes.
"Additionally, providing the patient's phone number on an e-prescription will help intervene when medications are withdrawn by the Chief Pharmaceutical Inspectorate. Currently, despite media reports, patients are often unaware that they may be taking a medication they shouldn't. Therefore, I ask you to reconsider the arguments contained in the petition and ask the Ministry of Health to consider it positively," the author concludes.
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