The mechanism for compensating medicines for socially deprived groups of people, primarily pensioners, as from November 1 will be reviewed. Zinaida Bezverhni, secretary of state at the Ministry of Health, stated for IPN that the mechanism introduced by the former government in May favored particular producers and will be therefore reviewed. “As of November 1, half of the medicines based on the same molecule – out of different names of different producers - will be compensated. The consumers will be able to buy them at half-price. The consumers’ access to medicines will be this way extended. They will be able to benefit from a wider range of medicines, out of a larger number of producers. There will no longer be one producer for medicines of the same category,” stated Zinaida Bezverhni.
“In May 2021, the compensation rate for common international names from the list of partially compensated medicines was increased as follows: from 30% to 40%; from 50% to 60%; from 70% to 80%,” Silvia Munteanu, press officer of the National Health Insurance Company, stated for IPN. Nevertheless, some of the consumers had to pay small sums for medicines they earlier got free from drugstores and also for partially compensated drugs.
Silvia Munteanu explained that the fixed maximum and minimum compensated sums are annually reviewed by the National Health Insurance Company and are updated based on the assortment of the commercial names of preparations, retail prices of medicines available on the market and in accordance with the calculation methodology set by a common order of the Ministry of Health and the Company.
“We note that the recipients of partially compensated medicines can further ask for a free preparation under a common international name from the list of compensated drugs at drugstores,” said Silvia Munteanu.
She refuted the rumors that the compensation rate for some of the medicine was decreased in May following the redirection of the given funds for the purchase of vaccines. “The compensation of medicines from the mandatory health insurance funds has nothing to do with the purchase of vaccines. Money for compensating medicines is allocated from the fund for paying for current medical services (basic fund), while for purchasing medicines – from the preventative measures fund, in accordance with the priorities in using the funds for implementing national and special healthcare programs,” stated the press officer.
