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On the Road to Improving the Health Care System in Montenegro

On the Road to Improving the Health Care System in Montenegro
Nov

20

2014

On the Road to Improving the Health Care System in Montenegro

There is no question that the Health Care System of any country represents the crucial pillar of development and prosperity of a society. Montenegro is no exception. Therefore, it is of utmost importance for a country to deliver proper, modern therapy to every patient in need, on time and at a reasonable price. However, the private sector should also find a way to support this common goal and provide the necessary expertise to the state authorities. This transformation road is certainly paved with many challenges. But, the final goal should be kept in mind, and that is the patients’ well-being.

Therefore, the AmCham Health Care Committee (AmCham HCC) has gathered the main international pharmaceutical companies to advocate for priority improvements in the pharmaceutical industry sector in Montenegro. In their experience, the pharmaceutical policy is not transparent enough and does not provide companies with the necessary regulatory framework for doing business in Montenegro. The last State Reimbursement List was published in 2011. Since then, many innovative medications have been produced. However, these medications are not available for Montenegrin patients, due to the outdated List. Exceptionally, if the appropriate council of doctors from the Clinical Centre of Montenegro recommends certain drug which is currently not on the List, the Health Care Fund’s Commission for the Reimbursement List approves its particular use for the patient. The Reimbursement List and other issues were discussed with the Minister of Health during the recently held Business Breakfast, organized by AmCham Montenegro. Besides the Reimbursement List issue, the Ministry of Health should work on defining regulations regarding maximum and reference prices of medications.

In sum, the current state of the pharmaceutical policy in Montenegro leads to the following conclusions:

  • The lack of a transparent process in Montenegro affects patients in such manner that new, more modern therapeutic drugs are not covered by the state Health Care Fund and made available at no cost to a wider population or even specific group of patients. Therefore, pharmaceutical companies are hesitant to develop their businesses in Montenegro having in mind that the process of planning is uncertain and lacking transparency. The result is a relatively low amount of investment in the pharmaceutical industry and a small number of employees working for pharmaceutical companies in Montenegro.
  • Greater transparency with the inclusion and exclusion of drugs on the Reimbursement List would help maximize potential savings for both individual patients and the healthcare sector by increasing affordability, patient access, and health budget control. In this manner, patients would spend less money for buying drugs in private pharmacies as these drugs would be reimbursed by the Health Insurance Fund.
  • On the other hand, the Health Care Fund would certainly have savings in the health care budget, as the pharmaco-economic criteria for new drug entry to the Reimbursement List would be defined. Likewise, the cost–benefit or cost-effectiveness parameters would be applied to current and future drugs on the Reimbursement List. As the end result, this would render the market more predictable and more attractive for further investments of pharmaceutical companies.

    • In its effort to support this reform process, AmCham Health Care Committee will intensify its communication with the Ministry of Health in providing the best regulatory and practical solutions for the patients. The bottom line is: if the pharmaceutical policy were more transparent, there is no doubt that both patients and the country would benefit from more investments of the innovative pharmaceutical companies into the Health Care System.

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