Some hospitals have had no cancer drugs for months, and in others they never ended. This was stated by the chairman of the Association of Cancer Patients Evgenia Aderska.
She stated, that one patient claimed in a letter to her, that in the hospital, where he is being treated for cancer, since April last year “5 Fluorouracil”- an essential element of the most commonly applied therapies, not delivered by state delivery at all.
“It makes an impression, that there are hospitals, where “5 Fluorouracil” it never ended. To me it means, that it is a matter of managerial flexibility to be ensured, because the problem with “5 Fluorouracil” it's been a long time – almost throughout 2012 year was the subject of a search for a solution”, Aderska pointed out.
When asked how he commented on the statement of the Minister of Health Desislava Atanasova, that within a week the delivery problem will be solved, Evgenia Aderska answered, that it is good to have a deadline to solve this problem, although, there have been tools to solve it before.
“There was a tool – Ordinance no 10, whereby each hospital can set aside some funds from its own budget and buy the missing percentage or quantity of a given drug for the time being. But anyway – the better solution is the global solution, which gives access to all hospitals and all patients equally quickly and equally securely. Because otherwise specula are born. People do not know whether to fight their disease, or with the absurdity of where to find medicine, which is not sold in Bulgaria”, said Aderska.
“It was not by chance that this Ordinance no 10, which solves exactly such cases. We very persistently asked the state to have an instrument, with which she can decide such things. So much has been done in recent years, so many changes, which give regulatory access to all therapies and ultimately the topic of cancer is always accompanied by the element, that the sick have no medicine. To me, this is completely absurd and not fair to the patients”, added Evgenia Adarska.
Yesterday, Health Minister Desislava Atanasova announced, that within a week the problem with the supply of medicines for cancer patients will be solved.
