Drug prices law finds no implementation, Arben Vitit Ministry tries to reason

Patients in Kosovo are forced to move from one medicineto another to buy medicines, as they are being sold at different prices.

In the health ministry, the price declaration has been through May 16th, and after the end of the complaints, the implementation of the law will begin.

The Law on the Price of Medical Products was enacted in August 2023. Article 19 of the law says the list of drug prices is published for the first time four months after its entry into force and that its implementation begins in six months. However, the same drugs continue at different prices, and citizens must visit several drugs to find a more reasonable price. They say there are big differences.

Pensioner Bedri Bytyci for Kosova Prees says a drug somewhere can be found at two euros, and elsewhere more expensive. He suggests that the drugs reason, saying that the rent is more expensive.

Other citizen Kadri Bytyci also complains about differences in drug prices. He says the law must be established that all drugstores have the same prices. Health Minister Arben Vitita, in a proposal for Kosovo Prees, says the deadline for the price declaration has been until 16 May, and after the end of the 30-day complaint deadline, the law implementation will begin. He points out that this law will determine the ceiling of prices for drugstores and distributors.

The deputy chairman of the Kosovo Pharmacists' House (OFK), Astrit Hadzijaha, says this law will affect the unification and lower prices in medicines for patients. He says that in the price declaration, only products containing active substance and not food supplements have had the right to participate.

Otherwise, in case of violation of the law, fines range from between 1,000 and 10,000 euros and the initiative of the procedure for revocation of the pharmacist's license or pharmacy license. The Pharmaceutic Inspectorate is taken into inspection.