Olexandr Saienko: Gov’t is considering an opportunity of delivery of medications to rural areas

The Government of Ukraine is considering the possibility of organizing the delivery of drugs to the countryside, including mail delivery that is world practice, said Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Olexandr Saienko.

"We should work on this issue additionally to provide the population with medications in rural areas, where there are no pharmacies," he said during a discussion on the further implementation of the "Available Medicines" program at a Government meeting on February 27.

The Minister added that mail delivery can be applied to a number of drugs that do not require a special temperature regime.

Olexandr Saienko also emphasized the importance of strengthening the medicines quality control.

"From January 1, 2019, citizens were given the opportunity to file a claim, to return medicines to pharmacies, which is a very important step, but we must think about further medicines quality control. This is done in order to minimize the occurrence of low-quality drugs in networks or when imported," he said.

Oleksandr Saienko also reminded that from April 1, 2019, the newly established National Health Service will be responsible for the "Available Medicines" program.

"It is crucial to ensure that we gradually move on to this, in particular in the regions, so that people do not feel that the executive in charge of this program is changing, so that we adhere to such a schedule as is now, when there is no problem with the availability of medicines, with the funds of district budgets," stressed the Minister.