Free drug provision for patients in Kazakhstan is provided at the inpatient and outpatient levels. Inpatient means receiving drug treatment in hospitals, outpatient means receiving prescription medications in clinics.
The single distributor "SK-Pharmacy" has been designated as the operator for the purchase and delivery of medicines in the country within the framework of the State Fund for Medical Care and the Compulsory Medical Insurance system.
Who creates the List of Free Medicines?
The list of medicines within the framework of the guaranteed volume of medical care and in the compulsory medical insurance system for provision is approved by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan. At the moment, Order No. KR DSM-75 of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan is in force. The document lists the diseases for which free medicine is provided, as well as the list of drugs itself.
The list of drugs for purchase through the Single Distributor was also approved by Order No. KR DSM-88 of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
What drugs are allowed for purchase and who is responsible for their quality?
Drugs that have passed state registration are subject to purchase through the Single Distributor. The country has a whole system of regulatory mechanisms in place to ensure that Kazakhstanis do not encounter low-quality or counterfeit drugs.
Issues of the quality of medicines circulating on the market of Kazakhstan fall within the competence of the Committee for Medical and Pharmaceutical Control of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which carries out the registration procedure for all medicines and medical products produced in the country, as well as those imported into its territory.
The registration procedure is preceded by a thorough examination, which consists of several stages. The National Center for Expertise of Medicines and Medical Devices carries out the examination and issuance of an opinion.
How is the purchase of medicines financed?
Financing within the framework of the guaranteed volume of medical care is carried out at the expense of budgetary funds, and within the framework of compulsory medical insurance - by the Social Health Insurance Fund.
Who is responsible for planning medication requirements?
Medical organizations themselves keep records of patients and determine their own needs both by the names of medications and by volumes, dosages, forms and delivery schedule. And in accordance with these requests, SK-Pharmacy carries out procurement and delivery.
How is an application formed?
Medical organizations submit a completed application with information on the required names, volumes, dosages and delivery schedule of drugs to SK-Pharmacy through the unified pharmaceutical information system - EFIS.
The completed application goes through the stage of coordination with the Health Departments, after which it is transferred to the Social Health Insurance Fund for further approval.
The Social Health Insurance Fund, being a source of financing for outpatient drug provision, considers applications from medical organizations submitted to SK-Pharmacy.
Then the Fund sends to SK-Pharmacy calculations of the regions' needs for medicines within the framework of outpatient drug provision, agreed with the Health Departments - a consolidated register.
Only after coordination and approval of applications by the Social Health Insurance Fund does SK-Pharmacy begin to purchase medicines. Thus, calculations of needs from the Fund serve as the basis for procurement procedures.
Thus, SK-Pharmacy does not participate in the application process.
Purchase of medicines
The purchase of drugs is carried out on the basis of applications submitted to SK-Pharmacy by medical organizations within the framework of inpatient care and the Social Health Insurance Fund within the framework of outpatient drug provision.
As a rule, the Single Distributor makes purchases in advance. So, drugs for the next year are purchased already in the current year.
Since 2018, purchases have been carried out in electronic format on a specially developed platform of the Center for Electronic Finance of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan. All announcements and protocols of procurement results are open information and are freely available on the web portal for the procurement of medicines and medical devices.
Shipment of medicines
As for the supply of medicines, SK-Pharmacy carries out shipment in accordance with the schedule specified in the application. Let us remind you that medical organizations themselves indicate the delivery schedule for the necessary medications.
Dispensing medications
The dosage, type, name, and most importantly, the dispensing of the drug is determined and prescribed to patients only by a medical organization represented by the attending physician.
Medicines are issued to patients by medical organizations in the information system for drug supply of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan - ISLO.
Thus, SK-Pharmacy does not participate in the procedure for issuing prescriptions to patients and generating applications, being only an operator for the purchase and supply of medicines.
In order to monitor issues of free drug provision and work with patients directly, SK-Pharmacy operates a contact center with the short number 1439.
It accumulates all data from the population about supply disruptions and provides information on the timing and delivery dates of necessary medications, which are provided free of charge. All calls from landlines and mobile phones are free.
The drug supply system is systematic and system process. Each step is regulated by clear regulatory and legal requirements.
The main task is to organize work in such a way that the medicine supply system can quickly and clearly respond to changes in demand, be flexible in any emergency situation and focus primarily on the needs of citizens.
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