Galery

1

The new regulation on the price reduction of medicines led to a lack of basic medicines in pharmacies, reported the Pharmaceutical Union of Attica region.

“The controversial pricing policy of the government, the lack of control over parallel exports and the insufficient measures to secure sufficient medicines for the Greeks placed the pharmacists in the hopeless situation to seek drugs for the sick every day,” said the Pharmaceutical Union. According to pharmacists, there is a lack of basic medicines for cancer patients, for diabetics and other patients with chronic diseases. Owners of pharmacies panicked in recent days as they are watching how the shelves are getting empty but they are not able to deliver the necessary medicines.
 
”Only medicines such as aspirin are available, but heart medicines, medicines for cancer patients, mental patients, for patients with Alzheimer and insulin for diabetics are missing,” said the President of the Pharmaceutical Union Konstantinos Lurantos for the Kathimerini newspaper. He added that “the drugs that are now missing are more than those that are available in pharmacies.”
 
According to Mr. Lurantos, after the announcement of the new prices list the pharmaceutical companies have ceased to indicate the prices of the medicines until the market stabilizes. And this is the reason for the lack on the market. Mr. Lurantos stressed that there was lack of medicines after the first price reduction in the summer. This deterred drug companies to sell their medicines on the Greek market, because it did not pay.

These are not the only problems of the Ministry of Health. It became clear that another € 30 million from the budget will be needed and that the newly appointed Minister Andreas Loverdos required to be able to cover part of hospitals’ debt (in 2009) to suppliers of drugs. The bulletin of the Ministry of Health says that € 340 million in cash were already allocated to hospitals to pay part of their duties. Due to its obligations to suppliers the Hellenic Association of suppliers of medical drugs announced on Monday that supplies to three hospitals - Evangelizmos, Nikea and Attica – were suspended.