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Tag: pharmacy
Ministry of Health will significantly not prohibit the extension of the networks of pharmacies. Although Minister in the prepared amendment to the act on pharmaceuticals proposes how many pharmacies may be owned by one person or company, but does not specify that the owner should only be a pharmacist. Slovak Medical Chamber would, according to its vice president, prefer the model that works in most of EU countries, that a pharmacist may own only one pharmacy.
Prohibition of loyalty systems in public pharmacies already has its legal version. Ministry of Health has submitted to public comments the material, which proposes the prohibition of providing financial or non-financial benefits and donations by the pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements and medical devices available on prescription. Holder of the provision for providing of pharmaceutical care will not be able to provide such benefits personally or through other persons.
Discounts provided by pharmacies on pharmaceuticals which are being issued on prescription are according to the Ministry of Health bringing financial benefits, but despite this fact Ministry plans to introduce the ban of these bonuses. This should happen through the amendment to the act on pharmaceuticals. Ministry argues that loyalty system highly influences also the consumption of pharmaceuticals, which has been increasing. Executive manager of the network of pharmacies Dr. Max, Tomas Slechan, sees in the intention to prohibit the discounts especially the way how to cancel the competition between pharmacies.
Slovak Chamber of Pharmacists repeatedly fights against so called “loyalty systems”. Discounts and bonuses used in some pharmacies in the competitive struggle are, according to the Chamber, changing the consumer behaviour of patients. This is turning more to saving than to expertise of issuing of pharmaceutical. The fact that people are more looking at discounts than at the professionalism is also shown by the July survey of the agency Focus. According to it about 25% of regular visitors of pharmacies are following the bonuses.
Slovak Pharmaceutical Chamber submitted the comments to several acts to Minister of Health, Zuzana Zvolenská, who is preparing the amendments to the health legislation. As absolutely most important Chamber considers the legislative ban of pharmacy networks, no bonuses by issuing of prescription pharmaceuticals and mandatory complying with particular price rules by the amendment to the act on pharmaceuticals, increasing of criteria for professional competency or repeated introducing of specialization from pharmaceutics as the condition for managing of pharmacy.
Loyalty systems in pharmacies are threatened. Ministry of Health wants to submit for public discussion the amendment to the act on pharmaceuticals in July. It should include also the cancellation of discount programs for clients loyal to one brand of public pharmacies. Loyalty discounts system is allegedly pushing the smaller pharmacies out of the market. Critics of this step claim that state also benefits from the loyalty programs. Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská wants to open also another reforms of pharmaceutical policy, which was last year enforced by former Minister Ivan Uhliarik.
Way of purchasing of vaccines will be changed again. Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská will probably comprise with the pressure of doctors and pharmacies, which do not agree with the changes made by her predecessor Ivan Uhliarik. Based on the amendment to the act on pharmaceuticals from December last year doctors have to purchase vaccines by themselves and store them in their outpatient clinics. Minister has already negotiated on the change of current situation with representatives of all parties. According to her spokeswoman, Zuzana Čižmáriková, she is ready to solve the tense situation.
Pharmacists has agreed on the opinion, that in Slovakia the philosophy of the pharmaceutical services is sheering from the global trend. Act on pharmaceuticals adopted by former government has according to them set the pharmaceutical department in to the role of logistical tool without professional skills. Pharmacists beside other things call for legislative adjustment of pharmaceutical ownership, introducing of mandatory membership in professional organizations in the health care, introducing of demographic and geographic criteria as a one of the conditions for issuing of the permit for providing of health care or legislative ban of pharmacy networks.
Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic approved the concentration constisting in obtaining of indirect exclusive control of company Penta over the company Domov Zdravia. Company Domov Zdravia besides other things controls the network of 40 public pharmacies in 30 cities in the Slovak Republic. Currently already 136 pharmacies under the brand Dr. Max falls under Penta company. Office allegedly concluded that the considered concentration will not create or strenghten the dominant position of Penta.
Slovak Chamber of Pharmacists plans to communicate with the Ministry of Health and the legislators on the need for a soon amendment to the Act on pharmaceuticals. Legislation approved by the former Government allegedly implements many non-standard issues, which go in favor of financial groups, and not pharamacists or patients. Representatives of the Chamber submitted their requirements considering the amendment to the Act on pharmaceuticals to the Minister of Health.
