OREANDA-NEWS. February 15, 2013. Reforms carried out in the health protection area afforded to ensure development of national production and high quality of Ukrainian medicine. This was informed by Prime Minister Mykola Azarov during a session of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

According to him, it is just well-grounded worry of citizens concerning the state of health protection that has become the basis for its transformations being carried by the Government. As the situation is abnormal, when low-quality medications with unconfirmed treatment effect appear on shelves of our pharmacies or when people are forced to buy drugs of unknown origin with unknown effect at high cost. “What arises peculiar concern is that in the course of treatment of serious diseases exceptionally expensive medicines are used. It reduces availability of treatment,” Mykola Azarov emphasized.

Hence, to settle this problem the Government is working in various directions, according to the Prime Minister. First of all, development of the national pharmaceutical industry is supported.

So, last year in Ukraine European standards of production of medicines – GMP - were introduced. “Now we can responsibly claim that the national medicines have proper quality, respective treatment effect. And speaking about the prices, the national medications are much cheaper,” the head of Government stressed.

At this, he assured that this direction will be strengthened by the Cabinet of Ministers as till now our market is filled 80% with imported drugs.