Warning of 'Serious Damage' to the Pharmaceutical Sector in Iran

The head of the Food and Drug Organization in Iran stated that the management of the pharmaceutical sector is challenging, noting that 'pharmaceutical services in hospitals have been damaged over the past 20 years.' According to a report on Wednesday (December 1) by ISNA news agency, Rasoul Dinarvand, at the first hospital pharmacy conference, said that the claims of hospitals and medical centers against insurance organizations have reached a 'fragile border,' and if this situation continues, the pharmaceutical sector could suffer 'serious damage.' He warned that given the volume of claims, 'all the efforts of the past three years in the pharmaceutical sector may be seriously harmed.' He mentioned that insurance organizations also owe significant debts to pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies, which has negatively impacted the 'service delivery' of the health system reform plan to patients. Dinarvand urged the government and insurance companies to settle their claims to prevent damage to the 'drug supply chain,' as rectifying this situation would be time-consuming. According to the health system reform plan in Iran, it was intended to gradually implement the reduction of out-of-pocket treatment costs, which had been emphasized since the Fourth Development Plan but had been forgotten. Hassan Rouhani had identified the implementation of the health system reform plan as the main program of his government for structural reform in Iran's health system. Dinarvand also denied claims of increased drug costs in Iran, stating that in the past three years, the actual cost of drug consumption has only increased by about two or three percent, which is natural given the 'increase in services.' He added that 'some claims that costs have increased are not confirmed at all.' He emphasized the necessity of 'hospital pharmacy' alongside 'urban pharmacies,' noting that pharmaceutical services in hospitals have been damaged over the past 20 years. Dinarvand criticized hospitals for neglecting the activities of hospital pharmacists, stating, 'We do not have pharmacists proportional to the number of hospital beds.' He considered this action beneficial for patients and hospitals, especially in the 90 hospitals providing chemotherapy services. According to the report, the head of Iran's Food and Drug Organization also mentioned the record of five million electronic prescriptions in the last four months in the country, adding that 'currently, electronic files have been created for 50 percent of individuals covered by the health network.' He concluded by stating that 'if insurance companies cooperate in the area of electronic prescriptions, we can implement it nationwide in 1396.'