| (1) |
Every prescription for a medicine shall be— |
| (a) |
written in legible print; |
| (b) |
hand or typewritten; or |
| (c) |
prepared with an electronic agent as defined by and in compliance with the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002 (Act No. 25 of 2002). |
| (2) |
A prescription shall be signed— |
| (b) |
in the case of a prescription prepared in accordance with subregulation (1)(c), with an advanced electronic signature as per section 13 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002 (Act No. 25 of 2002), |
by an authorised prescriber.
| (3) |
A prescription shall at least state the following: |
| (a) |
The name, qualification, registration number with the relevant statutory health council and address of the prescriber; |
| (b) |
the name, identification number and address of— |
| (ii) |
in the case of a prescription for a neonate, the parent or guardian; or |
| (iii) |
in the case of a prescription issued by a veterinarian, the person to whom the medicine or scheduled substance will be sold; |
| (c) |
the date of issue of the prescription; |
| (d) |
the approved name or the proprietary name of the medicine; |
| (f) |
the strength of the dosage form and the quantity of the medicine to be supplied: Provided that— |
| (i) |
in the case of a Schedule 6 substance the quantity to be supplied shall be expressed in figures as well as in words; and |
| (ii) |
where the prescriber has failed to express the quantity in figures as well as in words, the pharmacist dispensing the medicine may, after obtaining confirmation from the prescriber, insert the words or figures that have been omitted; |
| (g) |
instructions for the administration of the dosage, frequency of administration and the withdrawal period in the case of veterinary medicines for food producing animals; |
| (h) |
the age and gender of the patient and, in the case of veterinary medicine, the animal species; and |
| (i) |
the number of times the prescription may be repeated. |
| (4) |
The pharmacist who dispenses a prescription shall verify the authenticity of all prescriptions so dispensed. |
| (5) |
In the event of a prescription transmitted electronically by means other than an electronic agent in terms of subregulation (1), by fax or communicated verbally a permanent copy of the prescription shall be made for record purposes. |
| (6) |
A verbal prescription shall be followed by the signed prescription as per subregulation (2) within 7 working days from the communication. |
| (7) |
The prescriber shall keep records of the diagnosis relevant to the prescription and where the patient consents, indicate the diagnosis or the relevant diagnostic code on the prescription. |
Statistics Act, 1999
