Govt promises paper scripts will be optional by Christmas

New software for the e-prescribing system is in the pipeline
Laptop

GPs who want to ditch paper scripts will be able to do so within months, the government says.

The Department of Health says it will finish building a national, paper-free e-prescribing system before the end of 2019, allowing doctors to issue legally valid scripts using their clinical software.

The long-awaited reform was first announced in May last year, when the government earmarked $30 million for paperless prescribing in the 2018 federal budget.

However, it wasn’t immediately clear what the money was funding.