Speaking to the Anatolia news agency yesterday, General Director of Pharmaceuticals and Pharmacy at the Health Ministry Saim Kerman stated that under the drug tracking system (İTS), which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2010, instead of barcodes, each pharmaceutical will have a square code and an ID number that will allow the item to be tracked. Within three to four months of the implementation of the system, 10 percent of the drugs in the market are expected to have a square code, Kerman said. For a one-year period drugs with barcodes will also be available in the market; however, after this period, all products are planned to have the square codes. Work on the İTS is continuing, Kerman said.
With the new system, it will no longer be necessary for pharmacists to clip the barcodes of the drugs and attach them to the prescription that the patient received from the doctor in order to prove that the drug was sold to a Social Security Institution (SGK) member in order to get paid, Kerman said. The İTS will also contribute to the fight against counterfeit pharmaceuticals, which cost the SGK millions of liras per month.
