At least 40 hemodialysis patients are waiting for the hepatitis B vaccine and are at risk of getting infected because the Ministry of Health and "Montefarm" have been unable to agree for almost a month on how to invoice the doses they received as a loan from North Macedonia.
According to unofficial information, about 200 doses of vaccine for adults and about 1.000 for immunization of children are currently "captured" in the "Montefarma" warehouse.
Four doctors of the Clinic for Nephrology of the Clinical Center of Montenegro (KCCG), according to a letter that "Vijesti" had access to, addressed a request to the competent institutions three days ago, asking for an urgent purchase of the vaccine. They warned that occult hepatitis B infection in unvaccinated patients can always happen and that then there is a risk of transmission to others, through the same machines that are used in several shifts, despite the fact that the Hemodialysis Center strictly takes care of disinfection after each procedure .
"Individual patients have turned to the Institute for Public Health several times, but they were told that there is no necessary vaccine", the doctors stated and emphasized that "they assume that the situation is similar in 11 other dialysis centers in the country".
They also indicated that a part of the medical staff working in the dialysis centers also could not be vaccinated due to the lack of hepatitis B vaccine.
Yesterday, KCCG did not answer questions about how many hemodialysis patients are waiting for vaccination. From the doctor's letter to the competent institutions, it can be concluded that 42 patients they tested have an unmeasurable level of antibodies. Some of these patients received a vaccine in the previous period, but have a low or unmeasurable level of protective antibodies, while others, although they are on a chronic hemodialysis program, have not been vaccinated at all.
From the Ministry of Health, which he heads Dragoslav Šcekić, and "Montefarma" yesterday did not respond to "Vijesti" questions regarding the procurement of hepatitis B vaccine, how many doses they have available and how long the shortage has been. Even the Institute for Public Health did not answer whether they have the vaccine for adults against hepatitis B and in what quantities they have it.
42 KCCG patients on hemodialysis are waiting to receive the vaccine against hepatitis B, which is why the doctors of the institution asked for an urgent supply
According to the documentation that "Vijesti" had access to, the Health Insurance Fund was also interested in the problem of the shortage of hepatitis B vaccines.
"Montefarm" informed the Fund that the problem of procuring the vaccine against hepatitis B was caused by the fact that no one responded to the tender, so that institution could not provide the necessary doses due to the lack of offers in accordance with the Law on Public Procurement. From the letter of that institution to the Fund, it is concluded that the loan of the vaccines was agreed by the Ministry of Health and that they were stored on September 1 of this year, as well as that they are awaiting approval on the proposed way of resolving the disputed situation.
That state pharmacy institution in the letter, which he signs Goran Marinović, Fonda also points out that "the Ministry of Health contracted the loan", as well as that "Montefarm" "only accepted and stored" the doses of vaccines obtained from North Macedonia.
"When it comes to the method of invoicing borrowed vaccines, we have already suggested once that the vaccine be delivered to the institutions on the reverse side, in accordance with the consultations of our accounting department and the Fund... The deadline for the delivery of invoices for doses for adults, given that the tender has not yet been completed, and legally the term of delivery of the contracted quantity is 130 days, at this moment it is impossible to communicate precisely. It is absolutely impossible to announce the date of delivery of invoices for children's doses because there were no bids at the last tender," the letter from "Montefarma" states.
The Ministry of Health, "Montefarm" and the Institute for Public Health do not answer questions about the missing vaccines
Last month, the media announced that there is a shortage of hepatitis B vaccine for children in health centers, but also that the procurement process is underway.
Shortages of the vaccine against hepatitis B were also recorded last year, when Montefarm said that the procurement problem has been going on for years and that is due to production, because only one manufacturer "Glaxo Smith Kline" from London is registered in Europe, and therefore it is difficult to ensure constant delivery. .
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