site.btaCentralized Drug Procurement Will Apply to Public and Private Hospitals

Centralized drug procurement will apply to both public and private healthcare facilities, Health Minister Katya Ivkova said in a televised interview. She commented that, given the requirement for equal treatment within the European Union’s single market, it is not acceptable for only state and municipal hospitals to conduct tenders.

According to the minister, the purpose of centralized tenders is to ensure that a given medicine has the same price across all establishments. In her words, this will lead to savings through economies of scale, as well as greater cost efficiency and, consequently more transparency.

She also noted that these legislative amendments have already been submitted to the National Assembly and must go through the full parliamentary procedure.

Due to strong reactions against the proposal, she suggested that there may be lobbying interests within the healthcare sector.

The minister recalled that the funds allocated in this year’s budget of the National Health Insurance Fund for medicinal products amount to around EUR 1.3 billion, which is a significant resource and must be spent in accordance with the law. According to her, this approach will also help stop financial leakages in the system.

The minister said that it is time to update and digitize the National Health Map in relation to the number of hospitals in the country.

Regarding the staffing crisis in healthcare, Ivkova said that she will seek accountability from the executive directors of hospitals under the Ministry of Health, as it is their responsibility to recruit personnel for their healthcare facilities. They must act proactively, and workforce planning must be properly organized, Katya Ivkova stated firmly.

There will also be a new method for calculating the salaries of senior management in healthcare facilities, with remuneration linked to factors such as profitability, attracting young doctors and medical trainees, and levels of indebtedness.