Azernews.Az

By Sara Israfilbayova

The State Agency for Compulsory Medical Insurance plans to update the basic package of services in the future.

Head of the medical insurance department of the state agency Vugar Gurbanov told Trend that over the past year and a half, the Agency has analyzed the list of diseases that threaten life and lead to disability. Based on the received data, a basic package of compulsory medical services was formed.

“But there are such medical services that are included in government programs - for example, the treatment of cancer, diabetes, blood diseases and so on. Certain funds are allocated from the state budget on these state programs. After the completion of state programs, these diseases will also be included in the insurance coverage,” Gurbanov noted.

With regard to drug provision, he said, it applies only to drugs prescribed for inpatient treatment, emergency ambulance, or during the provision of medical services by a first-aid service.

“Medicines for outpatient treatment are not covered by the basic package. In the future, we want to cover the basic package of medicines needed to treat a number of diseases. There are some surgical operations after which patients need to constantly take certain medications. If the patient does not take them, there is a risk of recurrence of the disease. We believe that in order to manage these risks, it is necessary to expand the basic package and add to it a number of drugs prescribed for patients with outpatient treatment. Their provision will be limited,” he mentioned.

The basic package of compulsory medical insurance in Azerbaijan includes more than 1,800 medical services - examination, treatment, diagnostic procedures, surgical operations and other services.

The State Agency for Compulsory Medical Insurance has been operating since February 2016. Since the end of 2016, the country has been implementing a pilot project on compulsory health insurance, which currently covers Mingachevir, Yevlakh and Agdash regions of the country.

Implementation of compulsory medical insurance in Azerbaijan is planned within the health care reform framework.

The compulsory insurance program ensures citizens to receive free, high-quality medical care and eliminates unofficial payments from the health system.

The compulsory insurance is an integral part of health care reform, which will increase the financial capacity of the health system.

The project’s purpose is to strengthen the institutional capacity at the State Agency for Compulsory Medical Insurance to plan, execute and monitor healthcare spending in three elements: collection, accumulation of funds and purchasing of healthcare services.

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Sara Israfilbayova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Sara_999Is

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