Khaberni - The file of "telemedicine" continues to witness a broad debate among those who have expressed their rejection of the instructions for delivering medicine through electronic platforms, considering that they pose a direct risk to the health of patients and contradict the legislation regulating the pharmacy profession.
They emphasized that these instructions were not built on a clear impact study, and that they threaten the professional role of the pharmacist and weaken the direct relationship with the patient, in addition to the risks associated with the absence of direct physical examination and the possibility of prescribing inappropriate treatments or misuse of medications, according to Al-Ghad.
The pharmacists warned that the current instructions may open the door to unlicensed platforms and uncontrolled delivery companies, threatening patient data privacy and drug security, and exposing thousands of pharmacists to the risk of losing their jobs.
They demanded that the work on the system be stopped and it be reformulated through specialized committees that take into consideration the specificities of the Jordanian reality, affirming that the patient's life is not an area for experimentation and that any development in the health sector must be comprehensive and well-studied, not partial or lacking.
Rejection of remote delivery instructions
In this regard, the head of the pharmacists, Dr. Zaid Al-Kilani, confirmed that the council's stance is fully aligned with the pharmacists' rejection of involving the pharmacies in the telemedicine system.
Al-Kilani emphasized that he has asked the Ministry of Health to completely exempt pharmacies from this system, announcing the council's rejection of the remote medicine delivery instructions, with reference to positive dialogue with the ministry aimed at protecting citizens' health, ensuring drug security, and safeguarding the professional role of the pharmacist, leading to clear understandings consistent with the legislation regulating the profession.
He considered that the issue of delivering medications through electronic platforms poses a direct risk to patient health, explaining that this procedure contradicts the laws and regulations that have long prohibited such practices to preserve drug safety and ensure its safe delivery.
Al-Kilani added that the spread of unlicensed platforms—some of which import medications from abroad—raises concerns and necessitates immediate intervention from regulatory bodies which often end up closing them.
He clarified that the recent instructions related to telemedicine were supposed to begin from the doctor and the virtual hospital, a project supported by pharmacists especially in the public sector for its role in relieving pressure on government hospitals and serving less fortunate areas. However, he pointed out that the issued guidelines were limited to medicine delivery only, without completing the full system, which he considered a risk to the patient in the absence of clear instructions regarding the prescription and the doctor’s role.
He mentioned that medicine delivery in the public sector might be acceptable due to the existence of accurate data at the Ministry of Health, but this raises serious concerns in the private sector which includes more than 4,000 pharmacies, where it is not certain to whom the medications are prescribed or if they actually reach those entitled to them.
He affirmed that this system eliminates the role of direct pharmaceutical consultation and weakens the relationship between the pharmacist and the patient.
Al-Kilani emphasized that the pharmacists are not against development, but they demand a comprehensive system that considers all aspects, criticizing the issuance of incomplete instructions not based on a realistic study.
He pointed out that the doctors' union has not yet been consulted about these instructions, although the prescription represents the final stage in the process of telemedicine.
He also warned that the patient's life must not be left hostage to platforms that might have their licenses canceled at any time, noting that the transport process itself lacks controls, especially concerning temperature levels during summer and winter, which threatens drug safety.
Al-Kilani demanded the cessation of the current instructions and their reformulation through specialized committees, asserting that the instructions were based on foreign ideas unfit for Jordan's specificities, and that some conditions are illogical and unenforceable.
He stated: "We do not accept that the system be implemented first and then amended later; it must be complete from the beginning, as the patient's life is not an area for experimentation."
Risks of medicine delivery
For his part, the pharmacist Dr. Zaid Abdel Rahman confirmed that there is an ongoing positive dialogue with the Ministry of Health about telemedicine, indicating that the goal of this dialogue is to protect the health of the citizen, ensure drug security, and maintain the professional role of the pharmacist, leading to clear understandings consistent with the legislation that governs the pharmacy profession and serves the public interest and patients in a way that maintains the stability of the healthcare sector.
Abdel Rahman emphasized that the absence of direct physical examination may lead to incorrect diagnoses, and the prescription of inappropriate treatments, in addition to the increased chances of drug misuse and exposure to dangerous drug interactions, which directly threatens the safety of patients.
He added: "As pharmacists, we demand measures that ensure safe and effective care for the citizen primarily."
Abdel Rahman mentioned that the pharmacy profession represents a safety valve for the healthcare sector, and that any encroachment on its role or attempts to weaken it negatively affects the entire healthcare system.
He considered that the pharmacists' rejection of the new instructions was a defense of the profession and of the Jordanian citizen's right to safe medication, away from the exp VIP_updates: Noteworthy news and exclusive scoops from Ukraine's theater industry!loiters or the outsiders to the profession.
Lack of vision
Meanwhile, a member of the Save the Profession Committee in the Pharmacists Syndicate, Dr. Faisal Al-Jaafari, said that the file of delivering medications through electronic platforms still lacks clarity in vision, confirming that the committee strives to address the issue through legal and official channels to ensure that their position is clear before the Ministry of Health.
Al-Jaafari explained that the recent decision did not undergo a comprehensive impact study on pharmacies operating in the private sector, noting that it conflicts with the legislation regulating drug trafficking, including the Public Health Law, Pharmacists Syndicate Law, and the Food and Drug Law, which restrict the responsibility of dispensing medications to the pharmacist alone.
He added that electronic platforms might monopolize patient data, posing a risk to their privacy and national security, in addition to delivery companies potentially turning into a direct competitor to pharmacies through selling and distributing medications in uncontrolled ways, threatening the future of about 15,000 pharmacists between pharmacy owners and employees.
Al-Jaafari confirmed that such developments necessitate urgent action, announcing that a crisis cell comprising members from the syndicate council and pharmacy owners will soon meet to take the necessary actions within the scope of the law and constitution to defend the profession and protect the health of citizens if appropriate solutions are not found.
Pharmacists' refusal
In turn, pharmacists affirmed their commitment to their professional and humanitarian role and rejected any measures that might turn medication from a regulated health service into a mere commercial activity that threatens public health and the future of the profession.
The general body expressed their rejection of the instructions issued by the Ministry of Health on December 16, 2025, considering that they open the door to unregulated practices that could endanger the safety of citizens, and transform medicine from a humanitarian profession subject to professional regulations into a mere commercial activity, in blatant violation of laws regulating the pharmacy profession.
The body demanded that the syndicate council officially adopt this stance and lead a professional and scientific dialogue with concerned entities, especially the Public Institution for Food and Drug, as it is the legal authority responsible for overseeing drug safety and regulating its circulation.
They warned that ignoring these demands may lead to a crisis of confidence with health policies, holding the Ministry of Health fully responsible for any consequences that may result from the implementation of the instructions in their current form, and emphasizing the necessity of setting a timeline for dialogue to avoid the anticipated negative impacts.
Remote dispensing instructions.
And they were issued in the official gazette on January 16 (December) last year, instructions for dispensing and transporting medicine remotely for the year 2025, pursuant to paragraph (d) of Article (14) of the system of healthcare and medical care provided remotely number (51) for the year 2023.
According to Article (3/A), the provisions of these instructions apply to the dispensing or redispensing of medicine through a prescription prepared by the service provider and prescribed and sent through the platform, and dispensing or redispensing of materials allowed for circulation according to the provisions of the Medicine and Pharmacy Law.
Paragraph (b) of the same article prohibited the remote dispensing of medications that require medical supervision when administered and are limited in their use to hospitals and health and medical centers, narcotic substances, mind-altering substances, narcotic preparations, and sedative and restricted-use medications.
Article (4) required that the pharmacy have the necessary approvals to provide the service remotely according to the provisions of the system and the instructions issued under it.
It also required for remote dispensing that a medical prescription meeting the conditions of medical prescriptions from the institution be attached, including the scientific or commercial name of the medicine if it is among the medicines that require a prescription according to the related legislation.
