
The Draft Law on Amendments to the Social Insurance and General Health Insurance Law and Certain Other Laws (“Draft Law”) was approved by the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on January 9, 2024.
Article 4 of the Draft Law, which introduces significant amendments, includes the procurement of medicinal products and related services from abroad by the Social Security Institution ("SSI") within the scope of Article 3 titled "Exceptions" of the Public Procurement Law.
A review of the relevant article and its rationale reveals that the regulation aims to enable the SSI, with the approval of the Ministry of Health, to procure medicinal products from abroad to ensure faster access for general health insurance beneficiaries and their dependents to medicinal products that are unavailable domestically. In this context, the regulation seeks to diversify medicine supply sources, increase competition, and achieve cost savings in public expenditures. Additionally, it aims to facilitate access to life-saving medicines, prevent grievances caused by price differences in medicines, and establish a sustainable system against risks such as licensing issues, packaging differences, and exchange rate fluctuations.
Moreover, the regulation aims to enhance the efficiency of healthcare service delivery by addressing the challenges encountered during tender processes for service procurements related to the supply and distribution of medicines from abroad, such as medicine transfer, customs clearance, pharmacovigilance, and barcode labeling.
In conclusion, the regulation seeks to have a positive impact on healthcare service delivery and cost savings through the overseas procurement activities of the SSI.
In the coming days, we will also examine other significant regulations introduced by the Draft Law.