SK-PHARMACY LLP HELD A MEETING WITH THE FIRST HEADS OF REGIONAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS

On September 19, 2022, a meeting on drug provision in the regions was held on the basis of the Single Distributor. The meeting was attended by the heads of all local public health authorities of regions and cities of republican significance and the capital.

Thus, during the meeting, problematic issues of drug provision were discussed, such as incorrect planning and refusal of the declared need. The timeliness and continuity of drug supply is an important aspect of health care systems around the world and is of particular concern in the context of exceptional situations that lead to a significant increase in demand for certain medicines in the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. An important role is played by the issue of correct planning at the level of medical organizations.

The main task of the Single Distributor is to organize work in such a way that the drug supply system can quickly and accurately respond to changes in demand, be flexible in any emergency and focus primarily on the needs of citizens. In general, the pandemic has become a catalyst for the intensive digital development of the medicine supply industry, bringing the sector of drug production regulation to a new level.

The issue of providing each patient with socially significant diseases with free medicines is under special control and is worked out manually for prompt delivery to each medical organization. At the same time, the principles of patient orientation are a priority for the Single Distributor.

The meeting participants also discussed the issue of debts of medical organizations to the Single Distributor for the supplied volume of medicines. In addition, the Single Distributor focused on the mandatory requirements for compliance with the cold chain, as well as control in the procurement of vaccines.

Another issue of the meeting for discussion was the issue of centralization of the medical equipment procurement on the basis of the Single Distributor. The participants of the meeting were presented with the measures taken to switch to the central procurement of medical equipment in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The centralization of the medical equipment procurement is planned to be carried out in two stages. In the future, the Program for medical equipping in priority areas until 2025 will be approved with the identification of funding sources.

This will ensure transparency in planning the medical equipment procurement, increase the level of equipment with the necessary medical equipment, and reduce its cost by consolidating procurement and unifying terms of reference. The quality of after-sales service and staff training will also improve, and the share of domestic producers in the medical equipment market will increase.

Particular attention is paid to the comprehensive medical equipment maintenance and ongoing medical staff training. This will significantly increase the volume and quality of medical services provided to the population and reduce the costs of their provision through the effective use of medical equipment by healthcare organizations.

Currently, a substantive study of the issues of production localization is being carried out with foreign and domestic manufacturers of medical equipment. As a result of this work, an advisory list of equipment for localization in Kazakhstan will be formed, which will be worked out carefully by the medical and expert community, with regional health departments and medical organizations.