'Morning after pill' available without prescription

Minister of Health Bartosz Arłukowicz signed a decree enabling the sales on 3 April, following heated debates both among MPs and in the press.

The emergency contraceptive pill will be available to females of 15 years of age and over.

However, Grzegorz Kucharewicz, chairman of the the Supreme Council of Pharmacists, has said that the decision over whether the product will be sold without prescription will be taken by the owners of individual pharmacies.

He stressed that the 'morning after pill' is an expensive product, and that owing to this, some pharmacists may choose not to have a permanent supply on hand.

Meanwhile, pro-life organisations continue to appeal to the ministry of health to remove the pill from the Polish market.

Until this year, Poland was one of five EU member states to have banned over-the-counter sales of the product. (nh)

Source: IAR