site.btaHealth Minister Ananiev: Bulgaria Uses Newest Medicines in Treatment of All Conditions

Sofia, December 10 (BTA) - "Bulgaria's positive drug list is one of the broadest and includes drugs with proven therapeutic effects. All conditions are treated with the most modern medicines used in Europe and the world," Health Minister Kiril Ananiev told a news briefing on Saturday.

The Health Ministry specified that the news briefing had been prompted by Saturday's protest of patient organizations and a presidential veto over parts of the 2018 Healthcare Budget Act.

Under paragraph 6, the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) will not reimburse any medicinal products with a new International Nonproprietary Name whose inclusion in the Positive Drug List has been applied for or any such medicines which will be reimbursable for the first time in 2018d. The Positive Drug List comprises all medicines used in state-financed health facilities and programmes or covered in whole or in part by the NHIF.

According to the head of State, the challenged texts create different treatment of the insured persons and affect a major constitutional right which guarantees accessible medical care to the citizens.

Minister Ananiev said that in TV footage of the protest he noticed among the few protesters that many were people who were regulars at all protests regardless of the topic.  According to him, this shows that the protest had been staged. The Minister would not comment on the presence of National Ombudsman Maya Manolova at the protest.

Together with another two women Manolova held a poster that read: "Bulgaria Has Signed the Patients' Rights Charter. Patients Have a Right to Innovations. Children and Diabetes Patients Urge You not To Trample on That!"

Ananiev called "unserious" the motives of the President that without the new molecular entities the constitutional rights of Bulgarians are not guaranteed.

The Health Minister added that 30 per cent of healthcare expenditures in Bulgaria go towards drugs compared with between 15 and 20 per cent in other EU countries.

Ananiev said that his European counterparts had commended the Bulgarian positive drug list for the many medicines and the quick pace of adoption of new molecular entities. However, he said that a balance should be sought as not always new molecular entities had a beneficial effect on the treatment of patients.