Serbian party: Government only reduced citizen co-payments for medicine, not prices

Dragan Delić, a member of the Srbija centra (Srce) party, has criticized the government's narrative surrounding medication costs, asserting that the state has not lowered drug prices but rather reduced the co-payment amount citizens must pay. He argues that media outlets aligned with the government are misrepresenting the situation.

Delić explained that the government's recent decree reduced the citizen co-payment from a maximum of 90% to 50% of the drug's value. This measure is temporary, limited to one year, and is expected to cost citizens around 80 million euros. He questioned the logic behind citizens paying for medications when the government promotes healthcare as "free."

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The government has not lowered the price of medicines, but rather reduced the co-payment of citizens.

The Srce party member pointed out that mandatory health insurance in Serbia is based on solidarity, which he supports. However, he raised concerns about why insured individuals still bear a portion of medication costs. Delić highlighted that each insured person contributes 10.3% of their gross salary through health contributions, questioning if this is insufficient or if alternative funding sources, such as excise taxes on alcohol, tobacco, or betting, should be explored.

Comparing Serbia's healthcare spending, Delić noted that Serbia spends 136 euros per patient annually on medications, significantly less than Croatia's 282 euros and Slovenia's 468 euros. The share of drug spending in Serbia's total health budget is 20.5%, while Romania and Hungary, with larger overall health budgets, allocate 25% to medications. This comparison suggests potential inefficiencies or underfunding in Serbia's pharmaceutical expenditure within the healthcare system.

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Why do insured persons pay for medicines at all, if the authorities claim that healthcare is 'free'?