Paid for the training of 262 doctors: Pharmaceutical companies have been sponsoring the education of KCCG employees for the last three years

The number of doctors who have received advanced training thanks to sponsorships from pharmaceutical companies has increased in the past three years, and for the first time in 2023 and 2024, middle-level medical staff will also receive this type of education.

According to data from the Clinical Center (KCCG), in 2020 and 2021, there were no doctors or nurses/technicians who went for training with the sponsorship of pharmaceutical companies. In 2022, the private pharmaceutical sector financed training for 68 doctors, in 2023 for 114, and last year for 80 doctors. The data also shows that in the previous two years, 15 employees belonging to the middle medical staff also received training in the same way.

Responding to questions from "Vijesti", the KCCG stated that the funding of employees of that institution for professional and scientific training is clearly defined by the "Regulations on Professional Training and Scientific Research Activities", which was approved by the Board of Directors.

In that regulation, in the section on continuous medical education, it is stated that the KCCG, independently or in cooperation with other health institutions, scientific and similar institutions, associations, pharmaceutical companies and other entities, may organize professional meetings (courses, symposiums, seminars, lectures, etc.) for the purpose of professional development of employees.

It also states that an employee can secure sponsorship to attend a professional conference, provided there is no conflict of interest.

"If the sponsor is unable to pay the registration fee, accommodation or travel costs to the conference organizer or the agency responsible for organizing the conference, he/she shall submit a letter of intent to the Science Center on sponsorship of attending the professional conference, stating the name of the conference, the number of participants, and respecting the principles of non-conflict of interest and transparency. Based on the letter of intent, the KCCG concludes a sponsorship contract, which must contain the name of the organizational unit to which the funds are intended, the name of the conference, the number of employees participating in the conference, the amount and purpose of the donation (registration fee, accommodation or transportation). The request for professional development, with appropriate documentation, shall be submitted to the Science Center, in accordance with the Procedure for submitting requests and implementing professional development, which forms an integral part of these regulations," states the document from June this year.

Head of the Public Policy Research Department at the Center for Monitoring and Research (CeMI) Nemanja Stankov believes that any direct connection between doctors and medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies carries a serious risk of conflict of interest, as companies may try to use this connection to influence doctors' practices, especially when it comes to prescribing therapies and choosing medications.

"Donations for professional development are no exception. If the donation were direct and directed at an individual, a healthcare worker would, according to the Health Care Law from June this year, have to report a suspected conflict of interest to the ethics committee of the institution where they are employed, and since it involves money, the question arises as to whether they could accept such a donation at all," he says.

Stankov explains that our normative framework mainly directs donations to healthcare institutions, not individuals. And this, he believes, is a good solution that needs to be further strengthened, because in this way the professional independence of medical staff is preserved and the interests of patients are protected.

"What is important is to more precisely regulate the way donations are managed in such a way that, in addition to formal forms of professional development such as specializations and narrow specializations, the criteria and content of training that fall under professional development are clearly defined," Stankov points out.