Montefarm does not participate in the formation of the list of drugs and prices and does not determine the quantities needed by public health institutions (PHC), the health institution announced.
Montefarm stated this in response to the statement of the director of the Health Insurance Fund (HIF) Vuk Kadić that there is a "schizophrenic" situation in Montenegro, that negotiations regarding the list of medicines, prices and quantities necessary for procurement are being conducted by the Ministry of Health and Montefarm, while the HIF is the most common address for inquiries when there is a shortage of medicines.
Montefarm, as they said from that health institution, does not conduct any direct negotiations with the Ministry of Health, JZU or authorized importers, agents, holders of licenses for placing medicine or medical device on the market.
"When it comes to the List of Medicines, the Law on Compulsory Health Insurance, in Article 23, stipulates that the act establishing the List of Medicines is adopted by the Government, on the proposal of the Ministry of Health", says the response.
It is stated that the List of Medicines is compiled by the Commission for the evaluation of the fulfillment of the criteria for inclusion, the relationship of removing the medicine from the list of medicines, and the criteria for changing and supplementing the indication for the medicine that is on the list of medicines.
Montefarm said that the commission has 22 members, eight representatives of the Ministry of Health, four representatives of the Health Insurance Fund and ten doctors of various specialties.
"From the above, it is clear that not a single representative of Montefarm participates in the work of the Commission, although we have repeatedly addressed the relevant ministry with the request to have at least one member, given that we are the ones doing the procurement," the response states.
Montefarma said that FZO has four representatives, and that it is not clear to them how they "lead" the negotiations if they do not have representatives in the Commission.
"Therefore, the list of medicines, as is the case these days, will be reviewed by Montefarm only after the Government adopts the Decision on determining the basic and supplementary List of medicines, on which the prices of all medicines and medical devices are already defined", says the response.
Montefarm said that the Law on Medicines, Article 3, stipulates that the production and sale of medicines is an activity of public interest, so the Government determines the criteria for establishing the maximum prices of medicines used in human medicine, which are prescribed and issued at the expense of mandatory health insurance. insurance.
"On the basis of the Regulation on the criteria for the formation of maximum drug prices, which was adopted by the Government, the Institute for Medicines and Medical Devices (CInMED) determines the final list with the maximum price for medicines," stated Montefarma.
From that health institution, they said that they are only obliged to operate in accordance with the above and under the control of the FZO.
"After our institution receives the adopted Decision on determining the basic and additional list of drugs, it is important to note that with the prices already determined by the commission of the Ministry of Health, Montefarm makes the purchase and only after the allocation of budget funds from the Health Insurance Fund," says the response.
It is stated that JZU and Montefarm match their needs with the funds allocated to them.
Montefarm, as they said, does not even determine the quantities required by JZU, but independently in accordance with the available, limited, annual funds and send them to Montefarm to make the purchase.
"Our institution evaluates drugs and medical devices only and exclusively for the needs of our pharmacies, in accordance with the allocated funds, the submitted price list and the current List," the response says.
Montefarm stated that on the basis of the adopted list of medicines, already established prices, then the Regulation on the criteria for establishing maximum prices of medicines, the stated needs of JZU and their pharmacies, and in accordance with the allocated budget funds, they are making purchases in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Public Procurement.
They said that they call for tenders for the procurement of drugs and medical devices in quantities that JZU independently declares, while for their pharmacies they estimate quantities based on turnover and a number of consumption parameters from previous years.
"We note that Montefarm's operations and procurement are in accordance with the Public Procurement Law, which prevents us from directly importing drugs and medical devices," says the response.
Montefarma said that, in addition to the fact that they are not involved in the work of the Commission of the Ministry of Health, which forms the List of Medicines, which shows the prices and the impossibility of direct import, it is clear to the layman that they cannot influence the prices on the medicine market in Montenegro.
From that health institution, they stated that, while respecting the opinion and views of Kadić, they still believe that it was necessary to clarify to the citizens who forms the List, dictates the prices and the required quantities.
"Also, we claim that in the event of a shortage of any drug, citizens first ask for clarification from our pharmacists in pharmacies, then from commercial pharmacists, while the majority of the media directly address questions to the Management of Montefarma," says the response.
Montefarma said that they are not sure that patients should turn to the Fund immediately, although sometimes due to late payments from the Health Insurance Fund, suppliers stop deliveries to Montefarma, and as a result, there is a shortage of medicines.
They said that they agree with a series of statements made by Kadić, especially in the part that concerns the fixed allocation for health according to the gross domestic product (GDP).
"However, when it comes to the timely and continuous supply of medicines and medical devices to the public health sector, given that we are a health institution, we would still avoid qualifying the current situation as "schizophrenic", the response states.
Montefarm said that it is clearly defined who creates the List, determines the prices and the required quantities, it is only necessary to familiarize yourself with the legal provisions.
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