After leaving the country without medicines, the political bosses of the Ministry of Health are now planning to increase their prices. No sooner or later, the marble will be paid by the citizen, who is currently pulling a Calvary to find a simple syrup or a simple antibiotic. At the meeting that Thanos Pleyris had on Monday afternoon with representatives of the pharmaceutical sector, where he announced measures-aspirin to address the shortages, among other things, it was announced that the Minister of Health decided ’rationalization of prices in drugs that are elliptical and very low cost«. According to health ministry sources who spoke to AFG, this means an increase in drug prices, it was just announced more... politely!
The objective behind this decision is to stop parallel exports. At the moment, exports are taking place to such a large extent because the prices of medicines are much lower in our country than in other European countries. Therefore, companies and pharmacies choose to supply pharmacies in other countries to make a profit, resulting in huge shortages in the Greek market. By increasing prices, an attempt is being made to remove the incentive for parallel exports and to keep the drugs in our country. However, this will be a burden on the citizen, especially in a period of high prices and inflation. Today the patient is looking for medicine and may have to move to another municipality or even county to find it. If prices rise, he may be able to find the medicine, but it will be more expensive.
Of course, there is a solution and it is the indefinite ban on parallel exports of preparations that are in systematic shortage, the real time control of pharmacies by the EOF, the strict observance of the obligation of pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies for three-month stocks, the creation of a ’national stockpile« of vital medicines. But these solutions are not on the government's agenda, as they do not serve its neoliberal plans.
Ganga confirms
Speaking to SKAI, Mina Ganga made clear the government's intention to premiumize the profits of pharmaceutical companies. Specifically, the deputy health minister said: «Very cheap drugs are something we have to think about. That is, it must be worthwhile to produce them in order to have them. It does not make sense to have drugs priced below cost.» In fact, he admitted that if the prices of drugs increase, citizens will have to put their hand in their pockets as well, as the state will not cover the entire difference.
Passing the buck
TH. Plevris, faithful to the government's narrative for any crisis, continued to justify the unjustifiable with the main argument being that it was a «global problem». «The problem of drug shortage is a global problem, due to low production and lack of raw materials, which our country faces to a lesser extent because it has domestic production, as the entire Greek and multinational pharmaceutical industry accepts. In fact, unlike other countries, Greece has a full supply of drugs in hospitals and EOPYY pharmacies and any shortages occur only in private pharmacies,» noted Th. Plevris in a statement embellishing the reality.
In fact, he turned his fire against Andreas Xanthos on the occasion of the criticism of the head of the Health Department of SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance. «SYRIZA's obsession to gain micro-partisanship even from a problem that plagues the largest countries with the most expensive drugs,» he said. Also, in a communication show move and attempting to deflect blame from the Greek environment, the health minister sent a letter to EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakidou asking for her intervention.
Finally, it is recalled that Th. Plevris had not hesitated to turn even against doctors and parents.
