For residents of the CIS countries bordering on Poland, trips to this country for various goods have become commonplace. They also go to Poland for medicines. Due to the country's accession to the EU, the cost of drugs produced, for example, in Switzerland or Germany, in Poland is practically the same as in the producing countries. Of course, for the sake of a pack of analgesics, there is no economic feasibility on the trip. But if some medicine in your country is in short supply or very expensive, it makes sense to visit Polish pharmacies. Let's try to figure out how pharmacies in Bialystok work in 2021.
Medical support in Poland
Poland is developing rapidly. The country joined the EU, so today you can find here almost everything that is in the states of old Europe. And these are not only excellent shops, restaurants and hotels, but also modern clinics equipped with the latest equipment. At the same time, the cost of treatment and diagnostics in Poland is still lower than in other EU countries.
Pharmaceuticals are also well developed in the country. However, the real interest for our fellow citizens are medicines produced not so much by local as by well-known Western manufacturers. There are two reasons for this:
- Poland is integrated into the EU, and medicines on the European market immediately end up on the shelves of its pharmacies. While in the CIS, many drugs require additional certification, so the newest drugs are on sale with a delay.
- The cost of medicines in the EU is controlled. The maximum markup for them is 18%, while in the countries of the former USSR, the markup can be significantly higher. Due to the fact that prices for medicines are now quite high, it may make sense to go to Poland even for one specific medicine.
Search for medicines in pharmacies in Bialystok via the Internet
Bialystok is located 54 km from the border with Belarus and is convenient for traveling to this country for shopping, including medicine. There are more than 100 pharmacies in the city, and if you are interested in a rare drug or have a task to buy a medicine at the lowest prices, you should conduct a preliminary search on the Internet.
There you will learn about the availability of a specific drug in the pharmacy and its cost, as well as about promotions that are carried out by individual pharmacies and pharmacy chains such as Cefarm, Superpharm and Provita.
If you are interested in the availability of a medicine in general, and not in a specific pharmacy, and its approximate price, and this is what happens most often, it is very convenient to use the websites of large pharmacy chains. In particular, this information can be obtained online at the following links:
- Provita
- Cefarm.
There are other drugstore chains. In addition, almost every pharmacy that is not part of the network has its own website on the Internet.
All sites are in Polish, but the interface is intuitive and without knowledge of the language, so you can easily search for drugs and find the drug you are interested in.
You can also use the Ceneo site. It searches for the name of the drug and lists pharmacies across the country where it is available. The name of the drug must be entered in Latin letters in the search bar of the site.
Purchase of medicines in Poland
Most of the drugs are sold on prescription in Poland. Without a medical prescription, only mild pain relievers such as analgin, cold remedies, dietary supplements, homeopathic medicines and cosmetics can be purchased.
The main drugs - antibiotics, antiviral, hormonal and antifungal drugs, insulin and especially drugs containing drugs or psychotropic substances - are dispensed only with a doctor's prescription.
You can also use foreign prescriptions, including those from the CIS countries, but they must be certified by the personal seal of the doctor and clinic. In addition, the name of the drug or active ingredient must be indicated in Latin.
It should be borne in mind that after purchasing the drug, the prescription remains in the pharmacy. If a specific drug sales outlet does not have all the drugs listed on the prescription, you will be given a new prescription for the drugs that were not available right there.
But ideally, of course, it is better to have a separate prescription for each drug.
Sometimes pharmacists refuse to accept a foreign prescription. However, don't be upset - just go to another pharmacy. Chances are high that it will have more responsive staff.
Pharmacy contacts in Bialystok
The format of the article does not allow listing all pharmacies in Bialystok without exception. However, the official website of each pharmacy chain contains information about all of its pharmacies. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with a small list of pharmacies in this city:
| Name | Address | Telephone |
|---|---|---|
| Apteka Na Suraskiej | Suraska 4, 15-001 | +48 85 663 25 52 |
| Apteka Aqua Vitae | Legionowa 9/1 lok. 21, 15-281 | +48 85 744 16 71 |
| "Pharmacy Griffin" | Legionowa 30, 15-281 | +48 85 742 30 95 |
| Nasze Apteki | Fabryczna 22, 15-950 | +48 85 676 38 92 |
| New Pharmacy Pharmacy | Wiejska 71 / lok 4, 15-351 | +48 85 746 28 63 |
| Apteka | Produkcyjna 84, 15-680 | +48 85 664 72 43 |
| Na Antoniukowskiej. Apteka | Antoniukowska 11A, 15-001 | +48 85 651 21 71 |
| DOZ Apteka | Galeria Alfa, Świętojańska 15, 15-277 | +48 85 741 42 63 |
| Agar. Apteka | Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie 14, 15-001 Białysto | +48 85 742 77 65 |
| Pod lwem | aleja Józefa Piłsudskiego 8/1, 15-445 B | +48 85 653 78 56 |
| Apteka 'Na Zagórnej' | Zagórna, 15-959 | +48 85 811 01 78 |
| Apteka Bliska | Wysoki Stoczek 54, 15-754 Białysto | +48 85 662 92 83 |
| Malwa. Apteka. Ignatowicz I. | Pogodna 11D, 15-001 | +48 85 746 30 16 |
| Izyda. Leki homeopatyczne | Armii Krajowej 1, 15-001 | +48 85 661 77 21 |
| Remedium. Apteka. | Bohaterów Monte Cassino 5, 15-873 | +48 85 744 43 99 |
| Family pharmacy drive | Boleslawa Chrobrego 10A, 15-057 | +48 85 733 32 66 |
| Na Pogodne | Pogodna 11C, 15-001 | +48 85 746 41 56 |
| Super-Pharm | Icchoka Malmeda 1, 15-440 | +48 85 874 94 64 |
| Apteka Amica | Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie 26, 15-001 | +48 85 744 71 01 |
| Centrum Farmaceutyczne Sp. z o.o. Apteka | Pałacowa 4, 15-042 | +48 85 732 15 22 |
Rules for transporting medicines across the border
Most of the drugs can be transported across the border without restrictions. However, preparations containing drugs and psychotropic substances must be declared at the border. They are allowed to be carried only for personal reception. This fact must be confirmed by a certified extract from the medical history.
Medicines containing drugs can be transported in the amount of three daily doses. If the drug contains psychotropic substances, you can carry 90 daily doses.
Conclusion
Pharmacies in Bialystok are especially convenient for visiting residents of Belarus due to the city's proximity to the border. A large number of pharmacies and Poland's EU membership ensure that you can find the drug you need and purchase it with a prescription.
