[ad_1]
This is one of the priorities of the coalition agreement of the three parties – the TS-LKD, the Freedom Party and the Liberal Movement – and the desire to untie the hands of doctors by prescribing the most necessary treatment.
“Doctors will have more freedom to decide for themselves on the treatment methods, as well as on the necessary tests and the prescription of the most suitable drugs for patients,” reads one of the points.
After signing the agreement, he was asked to clarify whether the implementation of these provisions would include a change in the procedure for prescribing the first drug, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, leader of the Liberal Movement and must be assured.
Look for more efficient procedures
As Jurgita Sejonienė, a member of the TS-LKD faction, explained to tv3.lt, there are more general agreements in the coalition agreement itself.
“But if the coalition partners support it, and I look forward to it, I think all three parties will agree and propose changes to the current order.
Of course, this will again require a very clear discussion, first of all with family doctors, but also with specialist doctors, ”he said.
According to J. Sejonienė, it is important that the procedure is more convenient and efficient, and more acceptable to residents.
“It just came to our notice then. I know both doctors are complaining and the population is dissatisfied, so if this is the case and the more the population spending on drugs increases, then it seems to me that that should not be the goal. .
The so-called out-of-pocket expenses in Lithuania are only one of the largest in the European Union and one of the most important parts in general is health care expenses, ”said the sworn member of the Seimas.
The objective is to save costs for the population
Although the current Minister of Health has repeatedly emphasized that such a prescription procedure allows savings, J. Sejonienė was not willing to agree with him.
“If we save money from the PSDF budget, but there is a significant increase in the out-of-pocket cost for the population, then I don’t think there will be any savings here.
We need to find that balance so that it is not too much for the PSDF budget, but not too much for the population, especially given the socioeconomic situation of the country’s population, “said the interlocutor.
Effects can also vary
The GP community also said it would support such changes.
“The fact that changes are needed, because the fewer ticks we have to fill out some documents and prescriptions, the happier we are,” said Toma Kundrotė, a member of the Board of the Union of Family Physicians.
She did not hide the fact that patients complain, very eager to take the same medications they are used to. And these are emerging under the new agreements, they are disappearing from the price list of reimbursable drugs.
“So the packaging is constantly changing and this creates stress for patients during treatment. Some are adjusting, but especially more difficult for the elderly, ”he noted.
T. Kundrotė noted that the non-compliance of the active substance of the drugs of different companies depending on the production can differ by up to 30%.
“And sometimes even a small difference affects treatment. If you constantly take a lower dose and the drug from another company is not the full equivalent, then we will have worse results in controlling the disease ”, emphasized the doctor.
Patients prepare briefs
Patient organizations are already preparing to send letters to the new Minister of Health.
“We have no one to send letters to yet, but we are already preparing our proposals to fix this joval once,” said Vida Augustinienė, representative of Lithuanian patient organizations. – And these authorities have always demanded that the previous order be restored, so that the treatment is not prescribed by the minister, but by the doctor who specifically treats it. To avoid changing medications every few months. “
The interlocutor emphasized that this procedure not only did not help patients to save, but only emptied their pockets.
“The ministry boasts of having saved and patients are getting tired. Now, if a drug” falls “off the price list, the doctor has to start treatment from scratch, from the cheapest drug that may not be appropriate for that person. If the patient can pay himself, without wanting to make the situation worse, he buys the drugs at full price, “taught V. Augustinienė.
Waiting for previous order
In his opinion, a much better option was when the basic price of the drug was reimbursed, but cheaper and more expensive drugs were on the price list.
“Then the person could choose according to his possibilities and had to pay the difference of the reimbursed price. And now the order is such that a maximum premium has been introduced for the patient.
Therefore, if an even cheaper drug appears on the price list than before, the base price is recalculated and a lower amount is not reimbursed for all drugs on the list. If a drug appears with a premium that exceeds the maximum, it is automatically removed from the list, ”explained the patient representative.
According to A. Veryga, the “first appointment” procedure has been legalized in Lithuania, first of all, in order to reduce drug costs for patients, promote the use of generic drugs and increase competition among manufacturers of drugs to compete with each other and offer lower prices.
The portal tv3.lt recalls that after the announcement of the coalition agreement, it was also debated whether in the near future patients will have to officially pay for some of the medical services provided to them.
[ad_2]
