The list of essential medicines consists of drugs intended for the treatment of the most common health disorders. Among them are blood pressure-lowering, heart function-improving, pain-relieving preparations, some antibiotics, medicines for diabetes, asthma, high intraocular pressure, and other drugs most commonly prescribed to people. Currently, the list includes 238 essential reimbursable medicines, according to a press release from the State Health Insurance Fund.
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“The list of essential medicines in pharmacies is necessary so that even in unexpected situations patients receive the most important medicines,” says Evaldas Stropus, head of the Drug Reimbursement Department.
This list is updated every six months, and if new generic medicines are added to the reimbursable medicines price list, the list can be updated additionally. It does not include biological, brand-name, single-manufacturer medicines with a base price higher than 150 euros, as well as certain groups of medicines, for example, narcotics or those intended for HIV treatment, which are sold only in a few pharmacies.
A pharmacy may not have an essential medicine in stock only if it has not been sold at all for six months. However, at the patient’s request, it must order the required medicine so that it is delivered: if the pharmacy is in a city – within 2 days, if in a village – within 4 days. In cases where an essential medicine is not available in Lithuania due to supply disruptions, the pharmacy must offer another preparation with the same active ingredient.
Almost half of Lithuania’s population uses reimbursable medicines and medical aids, and their use has increased by 14% over the past five years. Therefore, both the availability and price of medicines are becoming relevant to more and more people.
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Only medicines with the lowest co-payment are included in the list of essential medicines, and by purchasing reimbursable medicines with the lowest co-payment, people accumulate a co-payment basket from the beginning to the end of the year. When the accumulated co-payment amount reaches the set sum, which this year is 70.02 euros, the patient no longer pays for the cheapest medicines until the end of the year – the co-payment is covered by the state.
“Patients often think that a more expensive medicine will be more effective, but a reimbursable medicine with the lowest co-payment has the same active ingredient and the same therapeutic effect. Therefore, by choosing the cheapest option, people can save without losing treatment quality,” notes E. Stropus.
The list of essential reimbursable medicines helps increase the availability of medicines so that residents receive the necessary treatment on time, and by choosing medicines with the lowest co-payment, they can reduce expenses. The list of essential medicines is published on the Health Insurance Fund’s website here, and the list of pharmacies with contracts with the Health Insurance Fund is here.
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