It is necessary to seal the holes in the drug area where the money is unnecessarily leaking, which could be used to cover new innovative medicines entering the Slovak market. This is what the director of the Institute for Economic and Social Reforms (INEKO) Dušan Zachar in connection with the new Decree of the Ministry of Health (MZ), which It changes the conditions for the entry of new medicines into a system of reimbursement from public health insurance.
“For example Reviewing the size and expedition of expenditure to the drugs paid within Classified contracts – so -called. Managed Entry Agreements. Furthermore more efficient revisions of maximum reimbursement for medicines, increasing patients’ supplements for medicines at less serious and less expensive diagnoses, Refunds of surcharges for drugs only for needy and not for the entire population group (seniors or children en BLOC), ”he said. According to Zachar, the barriers should also be removed for the entry of cheaper generic and biosimillary drugs on the Slovak market, which would support a greater competition with a positive impact on the availability and price of medicines.
However, he added that he understands the argument that he can “Cover only the duvet we have at our disposal” And it perceives the decision of the department as an effort to adapt the rules to the real financing possibilities. “In the other reform of drug policy, we have set such thresholds to reimburse new medicines from public health insurancethat have already shown in a short time that They are unsustainable in our conditions and in the performance of the Slovak economy, ” evaluated for TASR.
According to the analyst, it is also necessary to receive last but not least effective economic and social reforms, which would increase Slovakia’s attractiveness for investors and its prosperity in the medium and long term. “Because only higher economic growth and wealth will allow us to reimburse more new and more expensive drugs for patients in the future,” closed Zachar.
Since June, the Ministry of Health has proposed a change in the conditions for the entry of new medicines into the system of reimbursement from public health insurance. The MZ pointed out that the current rules would Medicines for medicines were not sufficient this year. The proposal was criticized by the opposition and professional and patient companies. Warned that Worse or prevent the access of Slovak patients to drugs. Minister Kamil Šaško (Voice-SD) on Friday (23 May) assured that the proposal of the decree will be discussed at a professional level and until the consensus is found, the Decree will not enter into force.
