Some discontinue their treatment due to a lack of medicines or a lack of stock in the hospital pharmacies from which they are served. Others stop their treatment because their request for continuation or for a dosage change is delayed in being approved and some are waiting for the requests submitted on their behalf by the doctors who attend them to be approved.
"It is a fact that the procedures have been simplified, but in some cases, mainly in drugs related to diabetes and obesity, there is still a problem in the approval of the nominal requests submitted to the competent committees of the Health Insurance Organization," OSAK spokesman Dimitris Lambrianidis told "F"
The complaints submitted to the Federation's Patient Observatory, he added, "bring to light various problems, some of which are largely due to a delay in the inclusion of specific drugs in the GHS which results in doctors and patients being subjected to the hassle and bureaucracy of the procedures for nominal requests".
For example, said Mr. Lambrianidis, "the Observatory was contacted by a patient who is awaiting approval to continue his treatment, but due to a delay he was forced to stop it because he is unable to cover the cost privately". In this case, "as stated in the Observatory, the attending physician contacted the competent committee of the HIO, pointing out the urgency of the case with the patient naturally worried".
In another case, a mother contacted OSAK and reported that her minor son is facing serious health problems and is waiting for the approval of an injectable preparation, "for which the doctor had submitted a second request after a month and she, as she said, was informed that the request has not yet been examined. The mother, of course, expressed strong concern about this delay, since it is her child who is facing various other health problems."
In addition to cases involving diabetes, problems, as Mr. Lambrianidis said, are observed in some cases in other patients as well. For example, "we had a lady with rheumatic disease who is also waiting for approval to continue treatment but, at the time she contacted OSAK, she was already waiting for more than a month and a half. She claimed that stopping her treatment led to a worsening of her condition, which, of course, is to be expected when a patient stops the treatment she is receiving."
Regarding the delays, other patients contacted the Patient Observatory in July, such as, for example, "a patient with a neurological condition who claimed that he had been waiting for several weeks and was seeking help in order to be informed about the stage of his request. The problem with the delay in the examination of nominal requests is, as it seems, greater for drugs for diabetes and obesity, especially for injectables."
These, the OSAK spokesman pointed out, "should have already been included in the GHS and the process of nominal requests to secure them should have already ended. We know that their accession is being pushed forward, but we must stress that there is no room for any more delays. In a country with such a high rate of diabetes and with a problem with obesity, as shown by various European studies, we cannot be trapped in bureaucratic issues."
"Back and forth" in pharmacies due to shortages
Shortages of medicines or delays in replenishing stocks in hospital pharmacies also cause problems and inconvenience to patients.
"In some cases and while there are stocks in Cyprus, the order from hospital pharmacies, or their delivery to hospital pharmacies, is delayed. As a result, patients visit pharmacies to pick them up and are forced to return the next day to be served."
There are "also cases, of course, in which there is a real shortage and the problem becomes even bigger".
For example, a patient who contacted OSAK reported that his wife suffers from a chronic condition and is receiving specific medication which she obtains from the hospital pharmacy. According to what he said, "during the last two months they visited the hospital pharmacy repeatedly, without being able to supply the drug, as they were informed that the preparation is not available without a clear timetable for its re-availability".
In another case, a patient "reported that he suffers from chronic kidney disease and had been receiving specific treatment for years, with which his health condition remained stable. After the discontinuation of this preparation, he was given alternative treatment and, as he states, subsequent tests showed a deterioration in his condition. According to information received, the previous treatment is no longer reimbursed by the health system."
The position of the HIO
Regarding the delay in the examination of applications for drugs for diabetes and obesity, the HIO in the past, recognizing the problem, proceeded with specific changes in the relevant procedures. A solution to the problem is expected to be given with the inclusion of medicines in the GHS and the release of patients from the process of nominal requests. As we are informed, the relevant procedures have already been promoted and are nearing completion.
It is recalled that for the inclusion of medicines in the GHS, the completion of various procedures is required, including negotiation with the importing companies.
Regarding the delays in the examination of requests for other pharmaceutical preparations, based on the data of the Organization, the waiting time does not exceed 2 to 3 weeks.
