The Romanian health system is facing interruptions in the supply of oncological drugs, essential for patients diagnosed with cancer. At the moment, says Cezar Irimia, president of the Federation of Associations of Cancer Patients (FABC), there is a lack of innovative medicines, financed through the cost-volume system. Such problems are not new, warns Irimia, but have been endangering patients’ lives for years.
What medicines are missing?
Cezar Irimia says that at the moment there is a lack of funds for “all medicines from the cost-volume contracts”. That is, that type of innovative and expensive drugs, for which the National Health Insurance Agency (CNAS) and drug manufacturers conclude agreements. The state pays for the treatments for the patients, and the manufacturers agree to share the financial risk through discounts or caps on the cost and number of patients. In situations where the budget or negotiations are not updated on time, patient access may be limited.
“Think that we haven’t had medicine for a week. Think House representatives have promised to come up with an addendum next week. Think that the organization of auctions takes another two weeks, because it has to be determined who brings the drugs, everyone chooses their distributors, there may also be appeals to the auctions. What happens to the patients during this time?”warns Cezar Irimia.
According to him, treatments of this type are missing from both public and private hospitals:
“Privately, some hospitals have undertaken to buy these drugs and will see them when they are settled for the drugs they consumed with their patients, but it is a major risk. The house can justify that it does not pay, because the cost-volume contracts were not concluded”.
Other medical units had reservations, says the FABC president.
“Every year the same thing happens”
However, Irimia draws attention to the fact that it is far from the first time that patients diagnosed with cancer are affected by such a situation. According to him, interruptions in oncological treatments represent a structural problem of the health system in Romania.
The same thing has been happening for years. For years I have reported and I see that even now these problems that cause victims have not been solved. There are over 20,000 preventable deaths in oncology each year. 48% higher than the European average
says Cezar Irimia.
The main cause identified is lack of funding.
“The lack of proper financing of the health system, in general, and the oncology program, in particular, makes victims. And not only in Oncology, in all chronic pathologies. Romania is in last place in Europe in financing the health system”warns the patient representative.
Lawsuits won with the state
Under these conditions, there are patients who end up suing the state for the treatments they need to live.
,,We don’t know what to do anymore. We win lawsuits with the Romanian state, but they learned from the lawsuits for access to medicines. We are fed up too! Even though I took a stand, nothing was done. We have over 1,500 lawsuits won with the Romanian state for access to innovative medication, which most of the time can make the difference between life and death”. says Caesar Irimia.
The FABC president also states that he does not want the dramatic situation to be used politically now.
Things have continued to this day. I don’t want to take advantage of this issue politically, especially in these tensions, because things are very long overdue.
We tried to get a point of view from CNAS on the situation, but by the time of publication of the article we have not received any response.
