Romania moves toward centralized procurement of medicines

In a press conference on 1 March 2013, Romanian Ministry of Health announced plans to introduce centralized procurement of selected medicines, health products and equipment. The list of products per category will be approved by technical working groups and is expected to include anti-TB drugs and antiretroviral medicines.  

The existing decentralized procurement process keeps quantities small and prices high. In addition, it excludes thoughtful and expert review of market situations and cost-benefit considerations. 

Through the centralized procurement, the Ministry of Health intends:

• to consolidate quantities of products and maximize power of the buyer;
• to significantly lower prices;
• to significantly improve transparency and oversight on a fewer number of contracts;
• to improve programme and procurement expertise;
• to reduce the burden on hospital staff while maintaining full use of their existing experience and expertise;
• to continually update the treatment list with more cost-effective medicines.