A new phase of issuing potassium iodide (KI) tablet prescriptions for students has begun
The Health Ministry’s Centre for Health Emergency Situations reports that starting October 20, new electronic prescriptions for potassium iodide tablets have been updated and issued for professional training and higher education students studying in municipalities within 100 km of the Astravyets Nuclear Power Plant. The potassium iodide prescription is valid for 30 days from the date of issue.
The procedure for issuing electronic prescriptions for potassium iodide tablets also applies to foreign students studying at Lithuanian higher education institutions. An electronic prescription is issued only to those foreign students who have a Lithuanian personal identification number. After obtaining a personal identification number, the student must inform their higher education institution, which submits the information to the student register. Based on the updated register information, an electronic prescription for potassium iodide tablets is automatically issued.
This measure is intended to implement state population protection measures in the event of a nuclear or radiological accident.
Potassium iodide tablets are an important preventive measure that helps protect the thyroid gland from the effects of radioactive iodine. “Potassium iodide tablets are used only in the event of a nuclear or radiological accident, upon receiving an official directive from the Ministry of Health. They help protect the thyroid from the effects of radioactive iodine, so it is important to take care of this measure in advance—do not delay and collect the tablets from pharmacies while the prescriptions are still valid,” says Iveta Paludnevičiūtė, Deputy Director of the Centre for Health Emergency Situations.
It is planned that the new electronic prescriptions will be updated until January 1, 2026. After this date, prescriptions will no longer be issued. Students can check whether a prescription has already been issued by logging into the Electronic Health Services Information System at www.esveikata.lt.
For technical reasons, the system may show a record of a visit to a doctor at Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Clinics. This is not a billable visit, but merely a technical step required to issue the prescription.
Potassium iodide tablets can be collected free of charge at certain pharmacies, the list of which is published here.
The Health Ministry’s Centre for Health Emergency Situations urges students not to wait until the last day and to obtain this protective measure in advance.
Ministry of Health and Centre for Health Emergency Situations info