MP's discussed the Conception of the Russian healthcare development until 2020

Jan 30, 2009

Among other positive points of the Conception, the most important is that it contains preconditions to improve the financial provision of the healthcare system, Health Protection Committee chairwoman Olga Borzova stated at the Parliamentary Hearings on ‘the Conception of the Russian healthcare development until 2020. Legislative aspects’. According to her words, the document highlights the system of measures to form healthy lifestyle. Another positive step is the transition of uniform social tax to insurance payments into the Compulsory Medical Insurance with a simultaneous increase in the tariff up to 5.1%. It is necessary to make a legislative move to fix government guarantees for medical assistance, the procedures and locality to provide paid medical services, distinguishing between them and free medical assistance, the deputy said.

Besides, Olga Borzova told that it will be required by law to resolve the issues, which have to do with establishing the national pharmaceutical policy: inclusion of pharmaceutical support for people in the programme of government guarantees to provide medical assistance for free, and in the medical and economic standards in the form of their component; inclusion of pharmaceutical support in medical insurance. These will require appropriate reflections in federal laws, and the relevant steering group is already working on it.

‘No doubt, the current procedure of government purchases of pharmaceuticals, which is reflected in the active legislation, is wrong, since pharmaceuticals purchases are carried out at auctions. Urgent modifications are necessary in the Federal Law #94-FZ, which will serve as a measure to fight crisis and corruption. It’s time to establish order. We insist on that the price cannot be the principal criterion when purchasing [pharmaceuticals] and it is essential to proceed from criteria of the quality of pharmaceuticals,’ the Committee chairwoman stressed.