OTC Medicines to Be Available at Military Units, Airports Without Pharmacies... Access Expanded

Ministry of Health and Welfare Moves to Amend Pharmaceutical Affairs Act Enforcement Decree and Rules on Medicine Handling at Special Locations
Motion Sickness Medicine to Be Added to Medicines Available for Sale to Ship Passengers in Island Areas

Going forward, people will be able to obtain over-the-counter medicines for minor ailments, such as fever and pain relievers and cold medicines, at military units without military doctors or nearby pharmacies, as well as at regional airports without pharmacies. The system will also be revised to allow motion sickness medicine, which is in high demand among passengers traveling by ship, to be handled at designated special locations, including islands and remote areas.

Yonhap News

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it had drawn up amendments to the Enforcement Decree of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act and the notification designating places where medicines may be handled, to improve access to medicines in areas where they are difficult to obtain, such as military units and small regional airports. The ministry said it would begin legislative and administrative notice periods on Nov. 12.

The amendments reflect requests from relevant ministries, including the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, to improve the system, as well as recommendations from the National Human Rights Commission of Korea and the Board of Audit and Inspection.

First, civilian employees at military medical facilities will be allowed to receive medicines directly from a doctor after a consultation, just like service members. Under the current system, only service members are eligible to receive medicines directly dispensed by a doctor, while civilian employees have been excluded. The government has decided to improve civilian employees' access to medicines in medically underserved areas and ensure fair treatment compared with service members.

The number of personnel eligible to handle medicines on behalf of others at remote military units will also be expanded. Until now, medics have handled medicines used following remote consultations, but recent difficulties in recruiting medics have constrained the supply and use of medicines. Going forward, civilian military employees who hold licenses as doctors, pharmacists, nurses or emergency medical technicians will also be allowed to handle medicines on behalf of others.

At military units without an assigned military doctor or a nearby pharmacy or store selling over-the-counter medicines for minor ailments, personnel designated by the unit commander will be allowed to handle such medicines on behalf of others. This will apply to units without an assigned military doctor that have no pharmacy or store selling over-the-counter medicines for minor ailments within 3 km. These medicines are nonprescription drugs that patients can choose and use themselves for minor symptoms. They comprise 11 products in total: three fever and pain relievers, two cold medicines, four digestive medicines and two topical pain relief patches.

Small regional airports without a pharmacy or a store selling over-the-counter medicines for minor ailments will also be added to the list of places where these medicines may be handled. The measure takes into account the difficulty of attracting pharmacies or 24-hour stores selling such medicines, given the low numbers of airport users and late-night flights. A person designated by the airport operator will be allowed to handle these medicines on behalf of others in the passenger terminal, helping travelers respond to sudden symptoms such as headaches and fever.

The range of medicines that may be handled at special locations, including islands and remote areas, will also be expanded. Previously, only some nonprescription medicines, including digestive medicines, fever and pain relievers, and antidiarrheal medicines, could be handled. Going forward, antiemetics for motion sickness will be added so that passengers can buy motion sickness medicine on site, where demand is high for ship travel.

In addition, the pricing rules are being revised to encourage pharmacies to supply medicines to special locations. Pharmacies currently must supply medicines to these locations at a 15% discount from the actual retail price. Under the revised rules, they will be allowed to supply medicines at a price no higher than the retail price charged by the pharmacy. The aim is to ease the burden on pharmacies and expand the supply of medicines at special locations.

The ministry plans to gather public comments during the notice periods before finalizing the amendments. Comments on the proposed amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act may be submitted by Dec. 22, and comments on the proposed amendment to the notification designating places where medicines may be handled may be submitted by Dec. 2, through the ministry's Pharmaceutical Policy Division or the National Legislation Participation Center.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.