Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Public Health has issued a circular requiring pharmaceutical companies to print essential information about human medicinal products in Braille on their outer packaging. Implementation will be introduced gradually and will become compulsory for all pharmaceutical products available to the public from November 2027.
The requirement stipulates that the name of the medicine, its active ingredient and strength must be printed in Braille in both Arabic and English.
The Ministry has also issued the Guideline on the Braille Requirements for Labelling Information of Medicinal Products for Human Use, which defines the technical and regulatory standards for implementation.
Dr Ghanim Ali Al Mannai, Assistant Undersecretary for Healthcare Regulatory Affairs at the Ministry of Public Health, affirmed that this measure forms part of the Ministry's efforts to enhance medication awareness across all segments of society, and to facilitate safe access to and use of pharmaceutical products by people who are blind or visually impaired. He noted that this aligns with the priorities of the National Health Strategy (NHS), which seeks to improve population health and wellbeing, deliver excellence in healthcare services and patient experience, and promote quality, key enablers and sustainability.
Dr Al Mannai added that the Ministry also aims to ensure the safe use of medicines and to improve access to information about medical products for people with visual impairments.
He further explained that the Pharmacy and Drug Control Department at the Ministry of Public Health will monitor implementation at all stages of pharmaceutical product registration, including new registrations, renewals, and modification requests. Compliance will also be verified during inspection and regulatory visits carried out by the Department's teams to pharmacies and drug warehouses.
Dr Ghanim Al Mannai further noted that the guideline is available on the Ministry of Public Health's website and within the electronic Pharmacy and Drug Control system.
It is worth noting that Braille is an internationally recognised system of reading and writing for people who are blind or visually impaired.
