MADRID, 8 (EUROPA PRESS)
The director general of the Association for the self-management of health (Anefp), Rafael GarcÃa Gutiérrez, has proposed to the Ministry of health and the communities to stop funding all those medications that are used for mild symptoms or minors to solve the funding problem currently plaguing the national system of health (SNS), that this measure would save each year billion euros.
So has assured it the representative of this entity, which includes pharmaceutical manufacturers of medicines without prescription not funded and companies in the sector of cosmetics, herbal medicine, homeopathy and nutritional supplements, during the presentation of the results of the Consumer Health in Spain market in 2011.
“We must prevent demagogues and tell the truth to the people”, has GarcÃa Gutiérrez, already pointed out that, “Although the ideal is that everything should be free, when resources are scarce you have to prioritize and is not possible to finance everything”.
And, in this regard, the director-general of Anefp believes that 5 percent of medicines which currently finances the SNS correspond to minor symptoms that “neither expensive nor undertake the life of those who consume them”, so would be likely to leave be paid.
“A citizen of his pocket can not afford an operation or treatment for cancer, but if we want the system to have money for that, sure that he doesn’t mind paying for some products for minor symptoms,” assured.
With this measure, which has been formally presented to the new Minister of the bouquet, Ana Mato, would allow a direct of more than one billion euros per year savings and, at the same time, avoid about 23 million of consultations in primary care and would save 91 million of concept of work absenteeism.
Has also added, delays in payment pharmacy offices suffering from that “they would charge in the Act” would be resolved without waiting for communities will reimburse the part financed.
GarcÃa Gutiérrez ensures that, within this measure, you should start to stop paying the mucolytics, artificial tears and mild over-the-counter, and only with these three therapeutic groups will make a saving of more than 200 million euros per year.
“Not cost more of seven EUROS”
The approach to finance some medications, as he stated, should not be the price of the same if not its indication (only those for minor symptoms), but acknowledges that “coincidence that drugs for minor symptoms don’t cost more than seven euros, so do not pose any ruin”.
However, the director-general of Anefp said that the State would have mechanisms to “avoid that, who can’t afford them, can do you”.
Garcia Gutierrez does not believe that this measure will affect a fall in sales of these products “provided that they are drugs that can not be replaced by others that do finance”, and proposes that the savings that are achieved should go to own health system “and not to pay official cars or kiosks in other countries”.
Therefore proposed to the authorities to “take decisions for health and not electoral reasons”. “Resources are, and if decisions are based on efficiency, today it is not possible to finance everything,” he said.
