The value of the additional purchase of medicines for Montefarma state pharmacies is EUR 970.000 and we expect these supplies to last until the end of January, by which time we hope the tender procedure for next year will be completed, said the director of that institution, Dr. Budimir Stanišić.
On Thursday, the government approved the procurement of medicines for that institution, which will be procured at the same prices and conditions as during negotiations with suppliers.
"This is the purchase we were looking for because Galenika pharmacies did not work for a whole year. Through the information system, we realized that there could be a shortage of some medicines. So, there is no interruption in the continuity of procurement, but we will sign new contracts with the same suppliers for the quantities approved by the Government", said Stanišić.
According to him, this was the only possible way to secure the market with medicines within the legal framework, especially "because I am not sure when Galenika pharmacies will start working".
Minister Radunović said that the supply of medicines in the last two months has been "absolutely normalized".
"Those quantities will be enough until the end of January, by which time we expect the annual tender for the following year to be completed. We expect to announce the tender for next year by the end of next week, and the opening around January 10 of next year. The value is almost 30 million euros, and it is about all the medicines that are used in public health institutions", said Stanišić.
"Absolutely normalized drug supply"
The Minister of Health, Dr. Miodrag Radunović, said that the supply of medicines in the last two months has been "absolutely normalized".
"The weekly reports of that institution show that maybe two or three medicines were missing for several days, with the dominant complaint being that there was no "monotpil plus" in the pharmacies for two days, and I am not aware that other medicines were missing," said Radunović.
He said that with the implementation of the annual tender, he expects that the drug market will be completely normalized in the coming year, and that the shortages that were present during the year will not be repeated.
Radunović is once again optimistic when it comes to resolving the dispute between Galenika and the Health Insurance Fund: "Given that we have already agreed on mediation, I know that a court case has been initiated, but I expect that in 2-3 weeks the disputed debt will be settled, that Galenika will revive and that the signed contract begins to apply".
However, it is not clear how the Fund will manage to find these funds, taking into account the financial difficulties, as well as the fact that the money planned for the contract with "Galenik" is given to Montefarm.
The case will also receive a judicial epilogue, because "Galenika" sued the Fund in the Commercial Court, due to the refusal of that institution and the budgetary authorities to accept a debt of around one million euros towards that company.
Since the beginning of the year, citizens have been unable to take prescription drugs in "Galenike" pharmacies. The biggest consequences are felt by those who live in places where "Galenika's" pharmacies were the only ones, such as Risan, Virpazar, Tuzi, Bijela and Sutomore, which were closed by the administration in March.
The new director Miodrag Ivanović announced the imminent opening of pharmacies in August, but it never happened. In addition to being engaged in private business, before coming to "Galenik" Ivanović was the director of the state newspaper "Pobjeda".
The ministers do not know if they are keeping the chairs
The current ministers of health and agriculture, Miodrag Radunović and Tarzan Milošević, according to them, still do not know whether they will keep their current portfolios.
Radunović said that he spoke with the new mandate holder Milo Djukanović, but that there was no talk of personal solutions for the health sector.
"There were discussions about a cross-section of everything that has been done to date in raising the quality of health care, and what needs to be done in the future in the health sector. I believe that it is up to the mandate holder to decide who will be the new minister", he said.
Milošević was no more specific: "It is up to the president to determine the composition of the new government, I am sure that he will look for people who will respond to this extremely difficult time. Until now, I have not discussed my further involvement and I would leave it to the mandate holder to make a statement".
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