OREANDA-NEWS. The Cabinet of Ministers today approved amendments and additions to the Government Decision No. 348 of 2014 which aim to increase people's access to quality medicines at reasonable prices.

According to Prime Minister Pavel Filip, one of the objectives of the Action Plan which the government signed in March relates to enhancing market access to medicines and medical devices of quality, safe and affordable by creating favorable conditions for economic agents, including by reduction in tariffs paid for services rendered by the Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices.

The prime minister said that during this period the authorities established already a simplified procedure for authorization/re-registration for medicines from the European economic area or Switzerland, USA, Canada, Japan, Australia. In these cases, the rates will be 25 per cent lower than before.

The same happens in case of medical devices. Prices for registration and re-registration of medical devices will be reduced by 25 per cent.

Also today, the government decided to create the centralized procurement center in healthcare sphere. This structure should exclude deficiencies in purchase process of medicines and other health products, medical devices for health system needs, as well as functions’ fragmentation among more institutions.

Founding a public institution with integrated functions in the centralized procurement field, reduce risks and become an effective lever to ensure rhythmic medical institutions with quality medicines at a lower price too. At the same time, it will ensure the medication planning needs, purchase transparency and monitoring public contracts execution.