Estonia's government approves bill allowing 24-hour pharmacy vending machines for medicines

The Estonian government has approved a bill amending the Medicines Act that would allow pharmacies to install vending machines dispensing prescription and over-the-counter medicines around the clock, ua.news reports, citing ERR News. ua.newsua.newsua.newsOpen source ↗ The bill still has to be considered by the Riigikogu, the country's parliament. If the law is adopted, the provisions on the machines will enter into force on March 1, 2027.

How the machines would work

Only three pharmacies in Estonia are currently open 24 hours a day. Mari Amos, an adviser on healthcare organization at the Ministry of Social Affairs, said that because people cannot buy medicines in the evening, those with minor health problems may travel to Tallinn or Tartu or go to emergency departments.

Under the proposed rules, a consultation with a pharmacist would be mandatory before buying medicines through a machine. It would be provided via video link at any time of day. According to Amos, an employee would remotely serve one or several machines.

The draft also restricts operators. One pharmacy operator could install no more than 10 machines. ua.newsua.newsua.newsOpen source ↗ In settlements with fewer than 4,000 residents, a machine must be at least one kilometer from a pharmacy run by another operator.

Concerns for rural pharmacies

Li Rootslaane, head of the Estonian Association of Pharmacist-Owned Pharmacies, warned that the machines could worsen the problems of small rural pharmacies. She stressed that pharmacists also provide vaccinations, measure health indicators and distribute tests for at-home cervical cancer screening.

Rootslaane believes that if a small pharmacy closes because of a machine and the machine later proves unprofitable, a community could be left without pharmacy services. She noted that in large cities such devices could extend pharmacy opening hours into the evening.

The Ministry of Social Affairs does not consider the machines the main threat to rural pharmacies, since their viability depends primarily on the number of regular customers. ua.newsua.newsua.newsOpen source ↗ The ministry also pointed to the significant costs of installing the equipment.