[ad_1]
Among other things, the “statesmen” question the expert assessment of the amendments tabled to the Seimas. The Free Market Institute, which provided the results, is said to be a stakeholder and may not be transparent, and the Chief Official Ethics Commission (COEC) is asked to assess the situation.
“We will change the committee and in any case we will implement that decision. This is our promise (to the voters – BNS) and we will keep it,” said Ramūnas Karbauskis, one of the leaders of the “peasants” who initiated the amendments.
According to him, the amendment will now be considered by the Law and Order Committee. Its President, as well as the draftsman of the opinion on the amendments, Agnė Širinkskienė, is convinced that state pharmacies will be particularly useful in the regions.
“It just caught our eye then. I see an advantage in the regions. There is a lot of competition in the cities, etc.,” said A. Širinskienė.
According to her, it is realistic that the Seimas adopt the amendments to the Pharmacy Law in July, when the parliamentarians go on vacation, and half a year will be enough to prepare for the emergence of state pharmacies.
The leaders of the “peasants” reported that the COEC had already asked to evaluate whether the interim President of the Free Market Institute Edita Maslauskaitė, after having presented the evaluation of the amendments to the Seimas to influence the adoption of amendments, had not violated the Lobbying Law.
According to R. Karbauskis, the acting head of the institute was unable to provide an independent evaluation, because there are doubts about the independence of the institute.
According to the Institute’s website, its sponsors include the largest pharmacy chains, Gintarinė Pharmacy and Eurovaistinė, as well as the Berlin-Chemie Menarini pharmaceutical company.
“There is no doubt that the institute’s conclusion that it proposes not to agree to the bill was represented by the interests of its financial sponsors, which have signs of illegal lobbying,” said the appeal to the COEC.
Seimas ordered the evaluation of the amendments in the fall of 2019, and the Free Market Institute won the tender.
In March 2019, the government passed amendments that would pave the way for the establishment of state pharmacies in hospitals.
The Competition Council declares that the amendments aim to legalize the establishment of a network of state pharmacies, as well as to identify possible conflicts of interest, transparency problems and attractiveness of investment in the region, and risks of corruption.
Pharmacy representatives say that the establishment of such pharmacies will affect small pharmacy districts the most, they would work under exceptional conditions: facilities, equipment for storing and storing drugs will not cost, staff will be withheld from the budget.
Currently, hospital pharmacies do not have the right to sell medicines to anyone, they are only for hospitalized patients. Private pharmacies that operate in hospitals sell medications to all people.
It is not allowed to publish, quote or reproduce the information of the BNS news agency in the media and on the websites without the written consent of UAB “BNS”.
[ad_2]
