Is an online (e-)prescription legal in Bangladesh? What BM&DC requires

This article is general information for doctors, not legal advice. Rules and guidance can change; confirm the current BM&DC guidance and consult a qualified legal advisor for your own situation.

The short answer, and why

In Bangladesh, what makes a prescription lawful is who issues it and how, not the medium it is written on. A prescription is valid when a doctor registered with the Bangladesh Medical & Dental Council (BM&DC) issues it while acting within their competence and scope. A clearly produced digital prescription that carries the doctor’s name and registration is treated like any other prescription — pharmacies across the country routinely accept clearly printed ones.

Two things put this on a firm footing for digital prescribing: the BM&DC’s telemedicine framework, and the country’s law on electronic records.

What the BM&DC Telemedicine Guidelines (2020) recognise

In 2020 the BM&DC issued guidelines for telemedicine — the practice of consulting and treating patients remotely. In broad terms, they recognise that a registered doctor may consult and prescribe at a distance, within Bangladesh, provided the practice is responsible. The principles that matter for a prescription are the familiar ones of good practice, applied to a remote setting:

• A registered doctor. Only a BM&DC-registered practitioner may consult and prescribe.
• A genuine doctor–patient relationship. The doctor must be satisfied they have enough information to advise safely, and that a remote consult is appropriate for the case.
• Clear identification. The doctor identifies themselves to the patient and on the prescription — name, qualifications and registration.
• Records. The consultation and prescription are documented and retained.
• Within competence, with limits. The doctor stays within their expertise, refers for an in-person examination when the situation needs it, and observes the stricter rules that apply to controlled and restricted medicines.

The guidelines are about responsible remote care, not a shortcut around clinical judgement. They confirm that a prescription written after a proper remote consultation is legitimate.

Electronic records and signatures: the ICT Act, 2006

Separately, the Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Act, 2006 gives legal recognition to electronic records and electronic signatures in Bangladesh. In plain terms, a record does not lose legal effect merely because it is in electronic form. For prescribing, this means a prescription that is created, signed and stored digitally is not invalid simply for being digital — as long as it identifies the prescribing doctor and their registration and is produced through a reliable process.

Together, the telemedicine framework (who may prescribe remotely and how) and the ICT Act (electronic records and signatures are recognised) are why a well-made e-prescription stands on the same footing as a paper one. For what a good digital prescription should contain, see what an e-prescription is.

A practical checklist for compliant digital prescribing

If you prescribe digitally, the safe, defensible pattern is simple:

1. Be BM&DC-registered and prescribe within your competence.
2. Establish a real doctor–patient relationship; gather enough history and, where needed, examine in person or refer.
3. Put your name and registration on every prescription so it is clearly attributable to you.
4. Prescribe within Bangladesh and keep proper records of the encounter.
5. Observe the stricter rules for controlled/restricted medicines, and don’t prescribe them where an in-person assessment is required.
6. Make the prescription verifiable — a way for a pharmacy or patient to confirm it is genuinely yours.

What this does not mean

• It is not a route for patients to obtain medicines without a doctor. A registered doctor’s clinical judgement is the whole basis of legality.
• It does not replace an in-person examination where the condition needs one — remote care has limits.
• It does not relax the rules on controlled substances, which remain tightly regulated.

How Prescriply supports compliant digital prescribing

Prescriply is prescription software that registered Bangladeshi doctors use — it never issues a prescription on its own or without a doctor. It is built so a compliant digital prescription is the easy default:

• Doctor identity on every prescription — your name, qualifications and registration are carried on the printout and the shared copy.
• BM&DC verification + a public authenticity link. Verify your registration to add a Verified badge and a public Rx-authenticity link a pharmacy or patient can check.
• Accurate data. A 25,000+ Bangladeshi medicine catalog and ICD-10 diagnoses, so medicines and diagnoses come from a maintained reference rather than memory.
• Records that build themselves, encrypted, isolated per doctor, with OTP and optional two-factor sign-in — so your documentation is there if you ever need it.

If you want the mechanics, read how to write a digital prescription online or see the online prescription software overview.

Sources & further reading

• BM&DC Telemedicine Guidelines (July 2020, PDF) — the professional framework for remote consultation and prescribing, published by the Bangladesh Medical & Dental Council.
• Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Act, 2006 (Act No. 39 of 2006) — legal recognition of electronic records and signatures, on the Ministry of Law’s official bdlaws portal.
• Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) — Bangladesh’s regulator for registered medicines. Prescriply’s own 25,000+ medicine catalog is sourced from the MedEx Bangladesh medicine index, not from a DGDA data feed.
• The BM&DC public register (verify.bmdc.org.bd) — to confirm a doctor’s registration.

Refer to the primary sources above for the authoritative text. This page summarises the general position for doctors and is not legal advice.

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