Healthcare Alliance

In 2018, NALED formed the Healthcare Alliance, at the initiative of members, drug manufacturers, wholesalers and local governments that recognize the common interest to establish a more efficient healthcare system at the local and national level, to solve the issue of healthcare institutions’ and pharmacies’ accumulated debts that exceed one hundred million euros, cut the red tape in healthcare and ensure greater availability and the right to choose medicines, as well as the availability of quality healthcare services.

In order to make progress and initiate systemic reforms in this area, which is crucial for the quality of life and public health, it is necessary to establish a public-private dialogue in an institutionalized manner, following the example of other Government’s and NALED’s working groups. That is why the Alliance initiated the founding of a Joint Group with the Ministry of Health.

The Alliance’s goal is to support healthcare development in Serbia through the creation of a strategic document that defines a long-term healthcare policy, financing, priorities and precise measurable healthcare goals, as well as participation in the systemic laws adoption process in the field of healthcare.

As one of the Alliance's most prominent work results so far, we would point out the Grey Book of Healthcare, NALED’s new publication presented to the public in February 2020. The Grey Book of Healthcare, modeled on NALED's Grey Book of Administrative Procedures, represents in one place and systematically, and in a comprehensible manner, the most common administrative barriers in the field of healthcare in Serbia and offers solutions that will make our healthcare sector more competitive, functional and attractive for investment and doing business, and provide citizens with greater healthcare availability and efficiency. In the Grey Book, fifty administrative obstacles have been selected that businesses, local governments, healthcare institutions, and above all, citizens face. Alongside each described problem, a solution is given for improving the system, changing regulations or their more efficient implementation.

The Healthcare Alliance’s goals:

• Developing a strategic framework and recommendations for healthcare development in Serbia - advocacy and participation in the development of a strategic document that defines a long-term healthcare policy, financing, priorities and precise measurable healthcare goals,
• Active joint participation in the ongoing systemic laws and bylawsadoption process in the field of healthcare,
• Increasing public funds allocation for healthcare and more efficient healthcare budget management: proposal of measures for healthcare institutions’ current debts rehabilitation and control, support for the introduction of new financing models, ensuring more efficient contributions collection, changes to the public procurement system,
• Greater availability and right to choose medicines and medical devices for patients - ensuring greater state’s cost coverage for medicines in the widest quality range, simplifying registration procedures and placing medicines and medical devices on the market, establishing a single pricing policy for medicines, establishing predictable and fair conditions for manufacturers, distributors and healthcare services providers,
• Efficient, accessible and quality service in primary and higher levels of healthcare - better healthcare management at the local level, strengthening knowledge and skills for healthcare management in public institutions,
• Cutting the red tape in healthcare - reducing the administrative burden on health workers and patients through digitalization, introduction of electronic medical records, electronic prescriptions and electronic referrals, creation of the Grey Book of Healthcare, public availability of healthcare institutions’ and individuals’ performance data,
• More technologically advanced diagnostics and healthcare - providing efficient mechanisms for approving technologically advanced approaches, providing funds for technological innovations, Healthcare Technology Assessment’s affirmation and institutionalization,
• Strengthening the role and affirmation of various forms of health insurance within the healthcare system - informing and educating citizens, improving the regulatory framework.

The Alliance includes the following members: Actavis, Accreditation body of Serbia, AsterFarm, AstraZeneca, Acibadem Bel Medic, City of Leskovac, City of Niš, City of Sremska Mitrovica, City of Vranje, DT Europe, Farmalogist, FEFA, FHI Zdravlje, Faculty of geography in Belgrade, Galenika, Heliant, Huawei, IBM, IQVIA, Inpharm, INEP, Merck, Merck, Sharp & Dohme (MSD), Medigroup SEE, Municipality of Kučevo, Municipality of Raška, NIS, Novo Nordisk, Nites, NTT Data, Pfizer, Phoenix Pharma, Roche, School of Electrical Engineering, Serbian Business Systems, Serbian Dental Chamber, Servier, Serbian Chamber of Healthcare Institutions, Swixx BioPharma, Takeda, Teva Actavis, University of Belgrade and the University of Kragujevac. 

You may watch the address of Una Ljubičić, former President of the Healthcare Alliance, at the 14^th Annual NALED Assembly at the following link.