Filenews 2 May 2023
The Health Insurance Organisation in an article on medicines in the GHS states that the changes made to the price list of medicines by the Ministry of Health for 2023 affected the contributions of 270 pharmaceutical products provided through the System. In 170 medicinal products there was an increase and in the remaining 100 there was a decrease in Contribution II.
All medicines covered by the GHS are included in the Catalogue of Medicinal Products (CPP) posted on https://bit.ly/3lri7T6 website, which is updated every month so that both providers and beneficiaries are informed about new medicinal products added to the CPP, medicinal products for which the patient is not required to pay Contribution II, the medicinal products for which the patient pays Contribution II and the amount thereof.
The article also points out that once a year – usually in February – the CPP is revised in order to implement the new Contributions II resulting from the publication of the annual revised price list of the Ministry of Health. This means that due to changes in the wholesale price of pharmaceutical products, the Contribution II that the beneficiary is required to pay may also be affected either upwards or downwards. Thus, as a result of the above procedure, the beneficiary may notice changes every February in the amount of Contribution II that he usually pays to the pharmacy in order to receive his medication.
It is added that doctors are obliged to inform and recommend to beneficiaries the cheapest option of the category and pharmacists can replace, with the agreement of the beneficiary, the medicine prescribed with another cheaper medicine containing the same active substance (generic). With this change, the beneficiary will not have to pay Contribution II to the pharmacy fund.
It is noted that according to legislation, the General Health System fully reimburses at least one pharmaceutical product from each category of medicines included in the CPP. In cases where there are several medicinal products available in a category, then the Agency fully compensates this at the lowest price. If your doctor prescribes you a medicinal product other than the cheapest of the category, then you will have to pay the difference in price (Contribution II).
The List of Medicinal Products of the General Health System includes more than 2100 formulations – a number much higher than that covered by the public sector – with the majority of pharmaceutical products having exchangeable/generic products for which beneficiaries do not need to pay Contribution II. Therefore, each beneficiary has the right to ask his pharmacist to supply him with the generic medicinal product that fully covers the GHS, so that he does not pay Contribution II, even if his prescription mentions a different medicinal product, it is further mentioned.
It is noted that generic medicinal products contain the same active or combination of active substances and therefore have the same therapeutic effect as originator medicinal products. Every generic medicinal product is included in the GHS CPP only if it has all the necessary approvals and licenses either from the Pharmaceutical Services of the Ministry of Health or from the European Medicines Agency.
The Organization also mentions that at this stage, it covers, through the GHS, more than 500 innovative medicines, for which, despite their very high cost, no Contribution II is required and has set a target for the majority of preparations in this category to be included in the GHS List of Pharmaceutical Products by the end of the year.
The HIO clarifies that due to their sensitive technology, many of these medicines need specialized storage conditions in order not to deteriorate, therefore the responsibility for the storage, maintenance and distribution of innovative medicines currently lies with the Cyprus Health Organization, the Institute of Genetics and Neurology and the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre.
In relation to chronic patients, he says that chronic patients have the opportunity to receive repeated prescriptions valid for up to six months from their treating physician, noting that, during the 6 months that the prescription is valid, beneficiaries can get their medicines directly from the pharmacy without having to visit their doctor to obtain a new prescription.
Also, the majority of pharmaceutical products covered by the GHS are now available from pharmacies in the neighbourhood, thus making it easier for beneficiaries to obtain them. In addition, chronic patients in 2023 will be able to receive from hospital pharmacies a quantity of medicines that will cover their needs for two months, in order to better serve them.
Finally, it states that based on the new functions of the GHS Information System, as of November 2022, beneficiaries can be informed about all valid referrals issued to them and all valid prescriptions for pharmaceutical products and/or consumables (recurring or not) so that they are informed at any time about their data.
