A behind-the-scenes “national consultation” on the availability of medicines was held in Kyiv: the opinion of those who disagreed was not taken into account

A behind-the-scenes "national consultation" on the availability of medicines took place in Kyiv, which, despite its high-profile name, caused a wave of criticism. Some experts spoke about the manipulative format of the event and the lack of genuine dialogue. According to one of the participants, the opinion of those who did not agree with the resolution was simply not taken into account, writes UNN.

Details

According to the words of Viktor Serdyuk, Head of the All-Ukrainian Charitable Organization "Council for the Protection of Patients' Rights and Safety", who participated in the event, the format of the "national consultation" raised many questions. He noted that the event, despite its high-profile name, did not actually take place in the form in which it was later presented in official reports.

Three theses: 1. The resolution, in the form in which it was submitted, was not discussed. 2. Most of the theses set out in the resolution can be agreed with. 3. Participants of the "national consultation" who did not fully agree with some of the statements of the resolution were simply removed from the list of participants

At the same time, the expert emphasized that the availability of medicines for Ukrainians remains a key issue for the life of both every citizen and the state as a whole. He also noted positive changes in the state policy on ensuring access to medicines, which are carried out with the participation of government officials.

"Iryna Vereshchuk from the OP introduced an interesting online format of daily exchange of expert opinions on changes in regulatory acts.  On this platform, with her participation, the participation of deputies, the Minister of Health, representatives of all market participants and the professional community, at least one broad meeting on topical issues is held per week", − the expert noted. 

Serdyuk also emphasized that the platform includes not only regular expert discussions on changes in the field of healthcare and the pharmaceutical market, but also other related events.

Let us remind you

"National consultation" on the pharmacy market, which was positioned as a professional platform for discussing topical issues of the industry, actually turned into a farce. Instead of a constructive dialogue and a professional approach, the event was marked by superficiality and a lack of real connection with the pharmaceutical market. The organizers gathered a circle of speakers, most of whom had no practical experience in the field of pharmacy. The main speakers appealed to outdated statistics, sometimes a decade old, which caused outrage among those present, who expected up-to-date analytics.

The most telling moment was the absence of representatives of the pharmacies themselves, whose activities were to be the focus of attention. The official program of the event did not even mention any of these institutions, which indicates a purely formal approach to the organization of the consultation. The discussion of the key topic – the availability of medicines for the population – ended without any concrete results. The participants failed to reach clear formulations or practical recommendations, and it was decided to finalize the resolution behind the scenes, behind closed doors, which further cast doubt on the transparency and purpose of the event.