Patients in the Czech Republic could soon receive prescription medicines directly at home instead of collecting them in person at a pharmacy.

The Health Ministry is preparing a system that would allow mail-order delivery of prescription drugs, a model already used across much of Europe.

Health Minister Adam Vojtěch said the change should be completed during the current election term. According to him, patients should have the right to choose whether to collect medicines in person or have them delivered.

Similar systems already operate in Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

The plan is not entirely new. Work on the project began under the previous leadership of the Health Ministry and was first introduced to professional groups last summer. The current administration is now moving the proposal forward.

Vojtěch said the ministry is negotiating with pharmacists, distributors, and other stakeholders to define strict conditions.

Safety remains the main issue. The system must preserve the role of pharmacists in dispensing prescription drugs and ensure proper handling during transport from pharmacy to patient.

The minister has repeatedly backed the idea in public. At the Czech Pharma Summit in November, he said online prescription services were unavoidable. He compared resistance to mail-order prescriptions to earlier opposition against vaccinations in pharmacies. He stressed that the legal framework must be created through consultation, not imposed unilaterally.

According to ministry officials, delivery would not replace pharmacies. Patients would still be able to collect medicines in person. The goal is to expand access, particularly for people with limited mobility or those living far from pharmacies.

One of the country’s largest pharmacy chains is already preparing to launch prescription delivery through its online platform once the legal framework is approved. The ministry has not yet announced a final timeline, but legislative work is expected to continue in the coming months.

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