700-Fold Increase in Costs for Thalassemia Patients

Spokesperson for the Parliament's Health Committee, referring to the review of problems faced by thalassemia patients, said the 700-fold increase in costs for these patients shows that the current situation requires serious review and reform.

Referring to the examination of the problems of thalassemia patients, the spokesperson of the Parliament's Health and Treatment Committee said: The 700-fold increase in the costs of thalassemia patients shows that the current situation requires serious investigation and correction.

According to Ambassador Arjan's report, quoted by Khane Mellat, Salman Ishaghi informed about the examination of the problems of thalassemia patients and other incurable patients in the webinar session of the Parliament's Health and Treatment Commission with the participation of a number of thalassemia patients and added: the cost of medicine and treatment of thalassemia patients has increased alarmingly and the out-of-pocket payments of these patients have faced a 700-fold increase in some cases; A situation that has seriously disturbed the continuation of the treatment of these patients and can cause irreparable damage to their health.

He said: Currently, the monthly cost of medicine and treatment for a thalassemia patient has reached about 150 million tomans, and it is beyond the means of many patients and their families, despite the fact that thalassemia patients are considered one of the first groups of special patients in the country, and since 1376, the government has obliged itself to cover the medical and treatment costs of these patients.

Criticizing the increase in the payment share of thalassemia patients, Ishaghi clarified: It was supposed that by organizing the currency of medicine and medical equipment, the financial resources resulting from this policy would be allocated to support the patients and their out-of-pocket payments would not increase, but today we are witnessing a situation where the heavy costs of medicine have been imposed on patients and their families.

The spokesperson of the Parliament's Health and Treatment Commission continued: One of the main problems in this field is the exchange rate changes and the increase in the cost of medicine, along with the delay in providing financial resources and paying the demands of pharmacies. These conditions have caused some of the medicines to reach the consumers at much higher costs and patients face serious problems in getting their necessary medicines.

Referring to the effects of exchange rate changes on drug prices, he said: Since December 1404, the calculation of the exchange rate used in some pharmaceutical items and medical equipment has been accompanied by changes, and with the increase in the exchange rate in the market, the cost of supplying these items has also increased. When the base of supply of medicine and medical equipment deviates from the preferred rates, the increase in the exchange rate can directly affect the cost of medicine and put more pressure on patients.

Eshaghi added: In such a situation, the resources from changing the foreign exchange policy should be used transparently and effectively to compensate patients' expenses and strengthen their insurance coverage, and if the purpose of reforming the foreign exchange policy is to support the production and organization of resources, the result should not be a multifold increase in out-of-pocket payments for patients who need continuous medication to continue living.

Emphasizing the role of insurances in controlling treatment costs, he stated: One of the serious problems is that insurances act late to apply drug price changes in insurance coverage lists and update their commitments. As a result, the price of the medicine may increase, but the insurance coverage will not be applied according to the new price and the patient will have to pay a major part of the cost out of his pocket.

The spokesperson of the Health and Medical Commission of the Parliament reminded: On the other hand, more than 10 months of the demands of some pharmacies have not been paid, and the accumulation of these demands, especially in a situation where the cost of supplying medicine has increased, has reduced the financial capacity of the pharmacies and some of them have faced difficulties in resupplying the medicines needed by patients.

He continued: When the pharmacy does not receive its claims from the insurance and at the same time has to provide the medicine at higher prices, it is natural that its working capital is under pressure. In such a situation, some pharmacies may refuse to provide some medical items covered by insurance or may not be able to supply them due to the inability to supply the medicine; Ultimately, it is the patient who faces difficulty in accessing their essential medication.

Stating that the set of these problems can disrupt the treatment process of thalassemia patients, Ishaghi said: These patients cannot stop taking medicine and their treatment due to financial problems or lack of medicine. Any interruption in access to their essential medicines can have serious consequences; Therefore, one cannot be indifferent to increasing costs and making it difficult for these patients to access medicine.

Referring to the issues raised in today's meeting of the Parliament's Health and Treatment Committee, he added: The Chairman of the Parliament's Health and Treatment Committee in this meeting considered this situation as an example of disobedience to the law, and the members of the committee also emphasized the need for serious intervention by the Parliament to follow up on the issue and prevent the imposition of unusual costs on patients.

The spokesperson of the Parliament's Health and Treatment Commission clarified: When the law has defined duties to support special patients and provide for their medical and treatment costs, the executive mechanisms must be such that this support is realized in practice. It is not possible to emphasize on the support of special patients on the one hand, and on the other hand, there was a several hundredfold increase in their out-of-pocket payments and disruption of their access to medicine.

Emphasizing the necessity of following up on the issue by the responsible institutions, Eshaghi said: Parliament should carefully examine the process of currency allocation, the way to provide support resources, the performance of insurance companies in paying claims and the status of patients' access to medicine, and determine why the support policies have not achieved the expected results.

He warned: Today, thalassemia patients are faced with costs that many of them cannot afford to provide medicine and continue treatment, and when support resources are not provided on time, the demands of pharmacies are not paid for months, and insurance companies do not apply coverage commensurate with the increase in the price of medicine, and the result of this chain is pressure on the patient and a threat to his health. Because the continuation of this situation will unintentionally put the government in a chain of decisions and executive problems, the consequence of which can be causing irreparable damages to the lives of thalassemia patients.

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