The public pharmacy institution "Montefarm" reacted to the text "In debt, but they are renewing the fleet", published in "Vijesti" on May 18. We transmit the reaction in its entirety:
"It is true that Montefarm acquired, in a publicly announced open procedure - tender, 8 vehicles for transport and 5 for administration, for which a precise specification of the vehicles was given. As we explained, the motive of this purchase is the rationalization of fuel costs, which have increased enormously in the meantime, as well as the rationalization of maintenance costs of old vehicles. Four new vehicles for administrative purposes are hybrids (consumption 3,5 l), while 1 Volvo SUV was produced in 2017, i.e. used-5 years old. The aforementioned "Volvo" was part of an integral lot that is either accepted or rejected at the tender. Everyone who is at all familiar with the tender procedures knows that within the framework of the bid for the published tender it is not possible to choose partially, but if it is accepted, the entire bid is accepted. Once again, to be precise, the new vehicle fleet will be repaid from Montefarm's funds, precisely through the reduction of fuel costs and vehicle maintenance costs.
In the published text, as well as in the title, it was stated that we are an institution "in a bad financial situation", which we hereby categorically deny. As proof of our many years of positive business, we present to the public a precise table of operations for the last five years: net profit - profit after taxation of Montefarm in 2017 is 602.777 euros, in 2018 82.165, in 2019 376.405 euros, in 2020 356.263, 2021 841.671 euros, plus 255.462 reserved funds. The total net profit of Montefarm from 2017 to 2021 is 2.259.281 euros.
As can be seen from the table, the net profit from 2021 compared to 2020 increased by 236,25 percent.
All data is publicly available, derived from the official Financial Report, published on the website of the Revenue and Customs Administration of Montenegro, and can be checked very easily.
Furthermore, the objection of the Union of Medical Doctors is very unusual, as well as their involvement in Montefarma's pharmaceutical activities and the "analysis" of our financial operations. It is possible that things would have been clearer to them if they had consulted colleagues from the Chamber of Pharmacy of Montenegro.
Montefarm has started the process of introducing the legally mandatory GDP (which should have been introduced 5-6 years ago), while from UNICEF Montenegro, in addition to the already existing two cold chambers of larger capacity, we received another "cold room" for vaccine storage. for which Montefarm had no need until the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic.
Also, for the sake of the public, we must emphasize that we accepted and stored donations from all over the world, intended for public health institutions, which were delivered precisely by Montefarma vehicles, with hours and hours of overtime work by all our employees. We took care, which we still do, of each donated contingent of PPE, we made emergency deliveries of the same several times a day, while we were convinced that we should first provide and protect doctors and mid-level medical staff, while, at the very beginning of the outbreak of SARS -CoV-2 in Montenegro, our pharmaceutical staff often lacked and used cloth masks.
Also, due to the capacity of our warehouse, which fully corresponds to normal health conditions, we were forced, as a national wholesale drugstore, to pay for the rental of additional space from Montefarm's funds, and so far we have paid about 60.000,00 for the storage of donated equipment for public health institutions. euros. For these funds, we could strengthen our capacities and the "cold chain" and the needs of the administration, without which it is not possible to function. Until now, JZU received car donations for their needs from various donors, which is commendable, but at the same time, we claim that not a single vehicle for the transport of medicines has ever been donated to Montefarma.
Finally, to clarify, the debt that is constantly mentioned is the debt of public health institutions and the debt for prescription drugs that citizens sold in pharmacies, which the state was obliged to pay through the Ministry of Finance, i.e. FZO.
The marketed information about the debt is not true, because the obligations based on the used medicines are much less than the state's debt to Montefarm. Even viewed in this way, Montefarm performed positively, and as of April 30, 4, our institution claims 2022 euros (FZO debt, then the debt of the Ministry of Finance based on the Decision of the Government of Montenegro No. 66.071.827,51-04/5486 from 2 November 12 on the expansion of the Public Procurement Plan for medicines used until March 11 and finally the debt of other customers). On the same day, Montefarm's obligations to suppliers amount to EUR 2021, and based on the data presented, the positive difference is EUR 2022 in favor of Montefarm.
Superficial "analyses" of the operations of our institution, as the only national institution in the field of pharmaceutical activity, cause concern among citizens and give a completely wrong image of us, and we wonder who is in favor of the constant presentation of Montefarm as a loser".
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