The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated that what some pharmacy chains are doing with prices is absolutely unacceptable. If there are no decisions to make medicines more accessible, then there will be personnel decisions. Zelenskyy said this in his evening address, reports UNN.
We are also preparing new issues for the National Security and Defense Council - in addition to those issues related to the financial stability of the state. We need to support the financial stability of every Ukrainian family, all our citizens. To a large extent, this concerns price issues, in particular on vital things like medicines. What some pharmacy chains are doing with prices is absolutely unacceptable. And this is the responsibility of the government, specifically the Minister of Health, the Antimonopoly Committee. Today I held a meeting with them, and I'm tired of waiting for the relevant proposals. There is not much time. Everything that needs to be done is quite clear. Specific steps, specific decisions are needed that will make the protection of our people's health more accessible. If there are no decisions to make medicines more accessible, there will be personnel decisions
Context
On January 24, at a meeting of the Committee on the Health of the Nation, the Minister of Health of Ukraine, Viktor Liashko, presented a concept for reforming the regulation of the pharmaceutical market. The proposals of the Ministry of Health concerned reducing the price of medicines through electronic tenders between manufacturers, limiting the size of discounts, and banning retroactive bonuses. Not all of the proposed changes were well-received by the members of parliament, so it was decided to develop a separate bill that would cover all aspects of the functioning of the pharmaceutical market. It should take into account the rights and obligations of manufacturers, distributors and pharmacy chains.
At the meeting, the members of parliament noted that the manufacturer forms up to 70% of the cost of medicines.