On August 21, the Verkhovna Rada adopted in the second reading a bill prohibiting doctors from prescribing drugs to patients under the influence of “financial incentives” from pharmaceutical companies.
The Ministry of Health of Ukraine reported this.
By “financial incentives,” Bill No. 10293 means:
receiving souvenirs and branded products; awards, bonuses, gifts; refund of part of the funds for the appointment; participation in competitions, lotteries, events from pharmaceutical representatives in exchange for an appointment.Also prohibited is the prescription of medicinal products on forms containing advertising information. The restrictions will also apply to medical products and rehabilitation aids.
The bill also concerns rehabilitation specialists and pharmacists. Thus, pharmacies, when dispensing medicines at the request of customers, will be required to provide reliable information about available analogues.
In addition, it is prohibited to conceal information about medicines with a similar active ingredient at a lower price for one’s own benefit.
Health Minister Viktor Lyashko hopes that the parliament’s decision will improve the quality of treatment and the level of trust in the medical system as a whole. He noted that the latest study by the USAID Healthcare Reform Support Project showed that 17% of informal payments made by patients in hospitals were for a conditionally better rehabilitation method than that provided by the state.
According to him, this is a consequence of unfair promotion, “which is based solely on someone’s financial interest.”