"Affordable Medicines" for Military Personnel: How to Get Free Medications with an e-Prescription
Military personnel are entitled to receive essential medicines through the state reimbursement programme "Affordable Medicines." These medications are dispensed with an electronic prescription at pharmacies participating in the programme.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the programme currently covers over 700 types of medicines. The list includes drugs for treating cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, mental disorders, glaucoma, migraine, and other conditions.
The programme also provides medicines for post-transplant patients, pain relief, and palliative care. Additionally, military personnel with type I diabetes can obtain medical devices for blood sugar monitoring.
The state fully or partially compensates the cost of these medications. Free medicines are available at the lowest price among those whose manufacturers have applied to participate in the programme.
Other medicines on the "Affordable Medicines" list can also be obtained with an electronic prescription. In such cases, the patient pays only the difference between the compensation amount and the actual price of the medicine. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine determines the full compensation amount.
How a military member can obtain an electronic prescription
A correctly issued electronic prescription is a mandatory condition for obtaining medicines under the programme.
Electronic prescriptions can be issued by primary care or specialist doctors, depending on the condition. Only medical professionals registered in the Electronic Health Care System are authorised to issue e-prescriptions.
Once the prescription is issued, the patient receives an SMS message containing the prescription number and a confirmation code in the format: "Your prescription: XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX. Confirmation code: XXXX."
When military personnel can obtain a prescription
Since most medicines in the programme are prescribed for chronic diseases, a serviceman may have received the first electronic prescription even before joining the Defence Forces of Ukraine.
During service, the first prescription can be obtained from a family doctor during leave. Alternatively, prescriptions can be issued by doctors in the military's deployment region if they work within the electronic healthcare system.
Military personnel can order repeat prescriptions remotely—by phone or via messaging apps—even while performing official duties.
Where to get medications
Since 1 July 2025, participation of licensed pharmacies in the "Affordable Medicines" programme has become mandatory. To do this, they must sign a contract with the National Health Service of Ukraine and dispense medicines with electronic prescriptions.
You can find the address of the nearest pharmacy participating in the programme by calling 1677 or by visiting the NHSU website.
At the entrance to such pharmacies, there should be a sticker indicating "Affordable Medicines Available Here." These establishments operate even in towns and villages close to the contact line.
As previously reported by Sudovo-Yurydychna Hazeta, the National Health Service of Ukraine announced that obtaining an e-Prescription or a medical certificate of temporary disability (MCTD) has become even easier. It is noted that in some cases, necessary documents can be obtained directly from the doctor providing medical care and supervising treatment. The list of specialities authorised to issue e-Prescriptions under the "Affordable Medicines" programme has been expanded to include doctors specialising in "Allergology" and "Paediatric Allergology."
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