Starting with February 1, 2019, at least one drug prescribed for treating the most frequent diseases will be provided free from among the medicines compensated with money from the mandatory health insurance funds, IPN reports.

Rodica Scutelnic, secretary of state in charge of medical assistance, told a news conference that the state so far compensated the drugs mainly partially, in the amount of 30% to 70% of the price, and the patients paid the difference. Under the new provisions, the patients could benefit from free medicines. If the person refuses the given medicine, this will be informed about other available medicines that are compensated partially.           

Denis Valac, vice director of the National Health Insurance Company (CNAM), said all the contracted drugstores will be obliged to have at least one product that can be offered free in the store. The druggists will be obliged to offer medicines provided free to patients. If the patient refuses that drug, this will be informed about other drugs.

The drugstores are obligated to publish the list of medicines provided free in a visible place so that the patient could find the commercial name of the compensated medicine on the list. If the requested medicine is not in the store,  the drugstores will have to offer this to the patient within 72 hours. The citizens who will not receive compensated drugs on time can call on 0800 99999.

The free drugs will be prescribed by family doctors, neurologists, psychiatrists, endocrinologists and pediatricians. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection, about 81% of the national drugstores were contracted by the National Health Insurance Company.  

Currently, the list of compensated medicines includes 148 common international names. This can be asked from the family doctor and in drugstores, on Info CNAM (0 800 99999) and on the website of the CNAM in the Compensated Medicines division.