Abu Dhabi Patients are complaining of frustratingly long waits at pharmacies because of delayed online approvals from insurance companies.
“It is a nerve-wracking exercise to buy medicines from certain pharmacies in Abu Dhabi. You have to wait for nearly half an hour to buy something as basic as antihistamine or paracetamol with your insurance card,” complained Kiran Anand, an Indian expat.
Paid in cash
A father of two, Anand said there have been occasions when he forewent the insurance claim and instead paid in cash.
“The wait is not worth it. How can you waste 30 to 40 minutes to buy medicines that cost less than Dh20?” he asked.
Long queues at pharmacies, especially those attached to private hospitals, are a common sight in Abu Dhabi. Most of them have introduced tokens to ease the rush but it doesn’t seemed to have helped much.
“Even after your token number has been called out, and you’ve handed over the prescriptions, it still takes the pharmacist anywhere between 15 and 20 minutes to get online approval from insurance firms,” said arthritis patient Mustafa Abdul Bassam.
Most pharmacies follow the Pharmacy Benefit System (PBS) which requires them to provide various details online.
“We have to enter the patient’s name and identity number, diagnosis, prescription number, and the name and quantity of medicines they will be given. These things take time,” said a pharmacist at New Pharmacy LLC attached to NMC Specialty Hospital on Electra Street.
According to her, most insurance companies insist on pre-approvals. “Actually, it takes only two minutes for us to get the approval and supply the medicines over the counter. But often, there are either technical glitches or confusion regarding the prescribed medicines. Often that is the cause of the delay.”
Dr Sherif A. Mahmoud, regional head of Medical Operations at AXA Insurance, attributed the delays to the lack of trained staff at pharmacies.
“We visit them routinely to discuss PBS related validation issues so that we can improve their response time,” he said.
You Speak
What has been your experience with pharmacies in Abu Dhabi?
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