Tiraspol, 10 July. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. Moldova has decided to organise a humanitarian blockade of Pridnestrovie. This time Chisinau intends to take control of the import of medications to Pridnestrovie and admit only those registered in Moldova.
"18 July is the deadline. Our suppliers have received notification from Moldova in an ultimatum form that they will not be able to transport medications that are not registered in Moldova across the Ukrainian border to Pridnestrovie. Thus, Moldova has assumed the arbitration function to decide what can be imported and what can't, what can be used for treatment and what can't, as well as the price of the drugs," healthcare minister Andrey Guranda noted.
The problem is the medicine registers of Moldova and Pridnestrovie vary considerably. Moldova prefers Western medications, whereas Pridnestrovie's pharmaceutical companies import medicines mainly from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. They are better and cheaper than foreign counterparts. For example, pancreatin costs 11 rubles in Pridnestrovie. A similar medication from Europe costs 31 lei in Moldova, which is three times as high.
"The existing structure of medication supply suits us and our patients. And the adoption of the Moldovan one will immediately cut off cheap and affordable medicines from our citizens. It's no secret that Moldovan citizens come to us to buy cheap drugs which we import from Ukraine, Russia, Belarus. For our ministry, pharmaceutical companies, medical equipment suppliers it is unacceptable to use the Moldovan registry. During negotiations, we insist that we import our medications on our own and determine the assortment on our own," stressed Guranda.
In addition, it should be taken into account that our doctors simply do not know many of the foreign drugs in order to prescribe them to their patients. Yes, and the patient himself will have a long time to study a drug package leaflet as it is printed in the language of the country of origin or importing country.
"We assume that the requirements will not only apply to the import of registered drugs but, most likely, to packaging as well. As we know, [documentation for] drugs imported to Moldova are strictly in Romanian. All the information is in their official language - Romanian," said Anna Nagornaya, commercial director of the pharmaceutical company Vivafarm.
The import of medicines to Pridnestrovie is the main subject of the meetings of the Tiraspol and Chisinau expert groups on healthcare issues. The issue is also discussed at the level of the political representatives of Moldova and Pridnestrovie. Now the sides are trying to compare the lists of drugs.
"The problem is that even if 1% of drugs does not match and somebody does not receive appropriate medical assistance, this will be a humanitarian issue that will negatively affect the health and personal safety of this person," Pridnestrovie's foreign minister Vitaly Ignatyev noted.
The Moldovan experts refer to the international standard GMP. They claim drugs imported to Pridnestrovie do not correspond to it. However, Russian and Ukrainian medicines undergo quality control in their countries.
"Russia, Ukraine, Belarus do not certify many of their drugs because they are designed for the domestic market. And we buy them for ourselves, based on the certificates of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, because we understand that they check their medicines and make them qualitatively," explains Andrey Guranda.
In addition, all medications are certified and verified directly on the territory of Pridnestrovie. The Center for the Control of the Treatment of Medical and Pharmaceutical Products may reject such products in the event they do not comply with the standard. Only checked assortment can get on the shelves of pharmacies.
"Pridnestrovie has all the necessary tools for quality control. As for commercial interests, the Moldovan side should not interfere with them. This is the right of choice for any company that plans to import certain medications, so any form of administrative and legal barriers in this area, as well as in others, is, in our view, discrimination," stressed Vitaly Ignatyev.
The recent meeting of experts on healthcare has ended indecisively. The discussion will continue. However, the Moldovan side openly stated that the free import of medicines to Pridnestrovie would cease in less than two weeks. In fact, Chisinau is again trying to force Transnistria to live, and now to be treated, according to the Moldovan rules.
