Minister of Health issues ministerial decision regarding regulations and procedures for pharmacy licenses in the private sector
Kuwait’s Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi, issued a ministerial decision today, Wednesday, regarding the regulations and procedures for licensing pharmacies in the private sector, as well as the trading, dispensing, and storage of medicines and medical products within them. The Ministry of Health stated in a press release that the decision includes a comprehensive regulatory framework covering the various stages of licensing and operating private pharmacies, as well as mechanisms for trading, dispensing, storing, and delivering medicines, alongside the organization of professional and supervisory responsibilities for personnel working in these facilities.
The ministry clarified that the decision sets specific controls for licensing private pharmacies, whether for Kuwaiti pharmacists, cooperative societies, or private hospitals. It also stipulated that the validity period of a private pharmacy license is four years, and organized procedures for issuing, renewing, relocating, or expanding the pharmacy’s area, adding warehouses, temporarily or permanently closing the pharmacy, and reopening it, along with the associated requirements, inspections, and approvals from competent authorities.
Furthermore, the decision mandates that the distance between a pharmacy seeking a license and the nearest existing pharmacy must be at least 1,000 meters in all directions, according to a specified measurement mechanism, with certain sites and facilities mentioned in the decision exempted from this rule.
The ministry noted that the decision emphasizes the technical and health requirements necessary for the preservation and storage of medicines and medical products. This includes ensuring that the temperature inside the pharmacy and its warehouses does not exceed 25 degrees Celsius, and that medicines requiring refrigeration are stored at temperatures ranging between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius.
The ministry added that the decision obliges the license holder of a pharmacy to appoint a licensed pharmacy manager, who is not permitted to manage more than one pharmacy. It defined the manager’s responsibility for the smooth operation of the pharmacy, as well as for medicines, invoices, prescriptions, records, technical aspects, and staff. Additionally, it required pharmacies owned by companies, individuals, cooperative societies, and private hospitals—whose licenses were issued to non-Kuwaiti pharmacists—to appoint at least one Kuwaiti pharmacist holding a valid professional practice license.
The decision also regulated the operation of pharmacies through night shifts and 24-hour opening hours. It specified the essential data that must be present on a medical prescription before dispensing and prohibited the trading, dispensing, or sale of medicines, health products, dietary supplements, herbal preparations, and specialized foods if their remaining shelf life is less than 30 days.
The ministry confirmed that the decision prohibits the acceptance or return of medicines, health products, dietary supplements, herbal preparations, and specialized foods after they have been dispensed or sold to the public in private pharmacies. It also required that products displayed or sold be in their original packaging approved for circulation by the competent authority within the Ministry of Health.
Finally, the ministry stated that the decision regulates external advertising on the facades of private pharmacies and requires prior approval from the competent authority at the Ministry of Health. It also established detailed controls for the settlement of medicine and medical product inventories in the event of the temporary or permanent closure of a pharmacy.
