Wasfaty Service

Wasfaty Service is an electronic service in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that streamlines medication dispensing by connecting hospitals and primary healthcare centers with participating pharmacies. This service allows beneficiaries to receive their medications free of charge from the nearest pharmacy.

The service is managed by the National Unified Procurement Company (NUPCO) and operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Health. Patients can view a list of participating pharmacies through a designated link.

The Wasfaty service aims to prevent medical errors in prescription writing, reduce the chances of duplicate medication dispensation when patients visit multiple health centers, automatically check for potential drug interactions with sensitive medications, enable continuous medication refills for chronic disease patients, and allow medication dispensation from various locations across the Kingdom.

The Wasfaty service sends text message alerts to beneficiaries, keeping them informed about the status of their electronic prescriptions. It allows users to view previous prescriptions and doctor’s instructions at any time. The service also enables direct communication between doctors and pharmacists, allowing doctors to modify or increase medication doses through accessing the platform and following steps. Additionally, a medication can be suggested by uploading it via the unified service number.

To join the Wasfaty service, pharmacies must meet several requirements, including: they must be registered on the NUPCO platform as an accredited pharmacy, hold a valid pharmaceutical facility license, and engage with the accredited suppliers listed in the Wasfaty directory.

Additionally, the pharmacist must be classified by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties and possess a valid license. The pharmacy must also have a computer with internet access to use the system, along with a barcode reader, printer, and medication instruction labels. Pharmacy and entity subscriptions to the Wasfaty service are valid for one calendar year, beginning from the subscription date.

Health entities are required to register for the Wasfaty service by completing a form available on the website. This must include the name of the health entity, its province and city, the applicant’s name, contact numbers, and official email. This comes in addition to details about their current health system adopted by the entity, the technical readiness of their infrastructure (including computer and internet availability), the location of pharmacies near the entity, and the number of health facilities under its jurisdiction.

As of the end of May 2024, the Wasfaty service includes participation from 2,223 health centers, 238 hospitals, and 5,053 pharmacies across 172 cities and governorates in the Kingdom. The service has processed approximately 108.8 million electronic prescriptions, according to the statistics from the Wasfaty website.

The Wasfaty service offers home delivery of medications to beneficiaries, allowing them to specify the purpose of the request and select from reasons such as: no nearby pharmacy to the health entity, the beneficiary being over sixty-five years of age, or having a disability.

The pharmacist can dispense an alternative medication approved by Wasfaty service if the prescribed medication is not available. The Wasfaty service benefits all patients eligible for treatment in government health facilities across the Kingdom, through a partnership with NUPCO.