The level of prescription fees in the Tuzla Canton is lower than in the rest of the country, pharmacists claim, asking for it to be changed in their favor.
They say they will not give up the request and, until that happens, they will not give medicines from the essential list.
The Minister of Health of Tuzla Canton claims that the Decision on temporary financing of the Health Insurance Institute should not have been a hindrance, that it could continue to issue prescriptions at previous prices until the adoption of the financial plan that foresees the price increase.
In the meantime, policyholders will not be given free medicines.
The minister Diana Colic says she received a request a few days ago saying that pharmacies will stop prescription of medication from today.
“It may have been a misunderstanding given that after the Assembly’s decision on provisional financing of the Health Insurance Institute, it offered Annexes of the contract to contract pharmacies by March next year, that we are bound by the law on budgets, ”Colic said.
When a final financial plan for the Health Insurance Instutute for 2020 is adopted, a public invitation will be issued for the provision of pharmaceutical services, after which pharmacies in Tuzla Canton area will be able to analyze the terms of the call and apply for the signing of contracts for the provision of health services for dispensing medicines from the essential list.
The prescription fee set by the financial plan would be credited to pharmacies for all prescriptions issued as of today, regardless of the effective date.
Representatives of the Ministry of Health of Tuzla Canton noted that the financial plan of the Health Insurance Institute has been the same for years, and that neither doctors nor patients are satisfied with the services, so they are planning several important changes in the health system, Vijesti.ba news portal reports.