Members of the Association of Producers and Suppliers of Medical Devices and Laboratory Equipment request amending the Law on Medical Devices and reducing the powers in holding tender contests of the Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices. These said that illegalities are committed on the medical devices market and a monopoly is wanted on this market as there are favored two companies managed by one family, whose bids become the winning ones in 80% of the tender contests.
“If we study the signed contracts that were registered with the Public Procurement Agency, we see that over 80% of these are signed with two companies - Intermed and GBG (Global Biomarketing Group),” the president of the Association of Producers and Suppliers of Medical Devices and Laboratory Equipment Stanislav Lesnic said in a news conference at IPN. He also said that after the abusive practices of the Agency of Medicines were discovered, a number of managers of national medical institutions, officials of the Agency and the former health minister were arrested.
Association member Marius Irimioaia said that the producers and suppliers of medical devices face a number of obstacles in the tender contests, such as excessive bureaucracy and exaggerated requirements concerning the documents required for taking part in tender contests. Under an order of the Agency of Medicines, these documents must include a CE declaration of conformity, but the producers do not want to issue such a document, invoking the secret in production.
Another member Sergiu Rata said the Law on Medical Devices was designed to promote group interests. On January 1 this year, the Customs Service introduced a customs tax of 10% on the import of products for dialysis in order to protect the national producers, but in Moldova there are no such producers. As a result, the products for dialysis will grow dearer and the patients who need dialysis at least two times a week will be affected.
Speaking about the schemes to arrange tender contests, the members of the Association explained that a tender contest is announced to purchase an expensive medical device. By dubious agreements, the Agency of Medicines decides in favor of suppliers delivering cheaper devices and the difference is appropriated. The sums of money earned this way are much larger than those announced by the National Anticorruption Center, which is investigating the case concerning the arranging of tender contests.
Sixteen persons are investigated within this case. A part of these were remanded in custody, while others were placed under hour arrest.
