Macedonian Health Fund 'Empty'

Gacov blamed Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and his closest associates for interfering in the work of the Fund and making devastating decisions that have left many health institutions without needed supplies and pharmacies without medication.

“I do not want to be part of a system that once threw millions into campaigning for higher child birth rates, and now has put mothers in a situation where they cannot get their maternity leave money for months,” he said.

In 2008 the government announced it would finance a so-called “baby boom” campaign to encourage couples to have more babies by providing state subsidiaries. However, in March last year the Constitutional Court ruled that the move was unconstitutional as the programme was to be implemented only in municipalities with low birth rates.

For the past several months taxpayers have been complaining that state-funded medication, which is expected to be largely reimbursed, is nowhere to be found.

The pharmacies have blamed the Health Fund for not providing the necessary money for them to buy the medicine in a timely manner, while the Fund has rebuffed the claims, saying that pharmacies are delaying the purchases in order to get better deals on the drugs.

Yesterday afternoon the government reached a decision to propose budget cuts totaling nearly €80 million. When he announced the decision the finance minister said that the health sector would be among the few areas that will actually receive more money under the plan.

Gacov said the move would not improve the situation.

The head of the Health Fund, Elena Trpkova, and her deputy Bekim Sali did not respond publicly to Gacov’s claims.