In the past few days, health institutions were left without "Buprenorphine" tablets, which are used by heroin addicts, but "Montefarm" claims that the situation with this drug is stable for now and that it has been delivered to health centers twice since the beginning of the month.
At the beginning of this week, citizens complained about the shortage of this medicine in the health centers in Bar and Podgorica, but "Montefarm", which supplies medical institutions with medicines, claims that "Buprenorphine" was delivered on August 4 and 9 this year. They explained that the institutions are also supplied with 2 mg and 8 mg medicine.
"If some drug or medical device is missing, it is usually a temporary stoppage, the delay of which does not last more than two days and cannot endanger the health of the patient", writes the answer of "Montefarma".
According to data from the electronic public procurement website, "Montefarm" requested about 80 medicines in mid-June, including "Buprenorphine" of 2 and 8 mg. 5.000 boxes of this medicine were requested, with a total value of around 56.000 euros...
The contract with the supplier was signed at the end of that month...
"Montefarm" did not respond to "Vijesti" as to how many boxes of this medicine were purchased for the needs of health institutions and when. According to the available data, that institution also announced a tender for the procurement of this medicine at the end of last year, asking for 43.000 packages of "Buprenorphine" with an estimated value of 264.530 euros.
As of 2017, the anti-addiction drug is available exclusively in health institutions, under the supervision of health workers.
According to the instructions that were adopted that year, Buprenorphine is distributed exclusively to health institutions that deal with the treatment of addicts (health centers that have methadone centers as part of mental health centers), all health centers that have a psychiatric outpatient clinic and institutions of secondary level of health care (ZU Special hospital for psychiatry, psychiatric departments of general hospitals Nikšić and Bijelo Polje) and tertiary level of health care (Psychiatric clinic of KCCG and clinics of the Institute for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions).
The user of Buprenorphine receives the appropriate drug in a health facility in the amount approved by a medical doctor - specialist psychiatrist, taking into account the user's health condition and, if necessary, the appropriate amount of the drug.
Previously, patients received "Buprenorphine" on prescription, in state pharmacies, and since there were no protocols on dispensing, it was not clear who had the right to this medicine, what dose and under what conditions. This often led to shortages, due to abuse of this drug among heroin addicts.
Namely, many people received larger quantities of the drug on prescription, and then resold it on the black market and used that money to buy heroin...
As it was unofficially reported to "Vijesta", the situation in this matter improved, but during the pandemic, there was a renewed abuse of the drug, after the epidemic and the "lockdown" measures, patients came once a week for therapy, which was supposed to be enough for seven days. According to the sources, this continued during the previous year and this year, so it happens that the patient receives therapy that should be enough for seven days and does not receive it under the supervision of health workers.
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