Ministry of Health signed contracts with international organisations for medicines procurements for 2017

On July 27 the Ministry of Health of Ukraine officially signed the contracts with international organizations for procurement of medicines in 2017. The UNICEF, the UNDP, and British Agency “Crown Agents” will continue to carry out medicines procurements in Ukraine.

After all tenders were conducted the reform saved 900 million UAH (around 25%) of 2016 primary budget for procurements. Now these funds can be directed to providing more patients with quality and free medicines.

The economy is impressive: some vaccines are 8 times cheaper comparing to prices at which the Health Ministry procured them earlier (for example, poliomyelitis vaccine “Imovax”). Moreover, a medicine for blood cancer treatment “Imatinib”, which was bought for 96,5 USD per pill in 2014 – in 2016 was procured for 1,43 USD only!

Moreover, international medicines procurements open the opportunities for Ukrainian companies – medicines producers, to enter international markets. For example, the UNDP has already procured tuberculosis medicines of Ukrainian producer for Moldova.