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The “Pregnancy Plus” program is to provide future mothers with access to free medicines. The bill was passed in the Sejm. If all goes to plan, free drugs will be available from July 1, 2020. What do doctors think? We asked the gynecologist Dr. Marta Mączka.
What is the “Pregnancy Plus” program?
– The “Pregnancy Plus” program is to be implemented in July 2020 and guarantee access to free drugs, which have been partially reimbursed so far, for all pregnant women – explains Dr. Marta Mączka, gynecologist from the WOMAN and MOTHER Medical Center in Warsaw.
– A prescription for free medications can be issued after the pregnancy is confirmed by a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology who has signed a contract with the National Health Fund. Based on a certificate confirming pregnancy, issued by the attending physician, prescriptions for free medications for pregnant women will also be able to be issued by GPs, nurses and midwives – adds the expert.
«Pregnancy Plus» – what drugs will be free?
According to Cowzdrowiu.pl, pregnant women will be entitled to free drugs up to the 15th day before delivery. This means that during the puerperium period, you will not be able to take advantage of free medicines.
– This is a big drawback of this program – says Dr. Marta Mączka. – There are many drugs that should be used by some women immediately after giving birth, and which are not bought by them due to a too narrow home budget. Such drugs include, for example, heparins, the use of which could contribute to the reduction of mortality due to thromboembolism in women after childbirth. The second large group of drugs are antibiotics, which could reduce the number of repeat hospitalizations during the puerperium, which are caused by untreated bacterial infections.
Not all drugs will be free – the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariffs will decide which funds will be available for free. This is where the doubts of the medical community arise.
The draft stipulates that drugs that are now on the list of reimbursed drugs will be free. This should also apply to, among others, iron preparations, drugs for hypertension, drugs for thyroid diseases, steroids, heparins – says Dr. Mączka.
As we read in “Puls Farmacji”, national consultants advised that the list should include, inter alia, antihypertensive drugs, anti-D immunoglobulins, herpes acyclovir, and potassium iodide and iron preparations.
Pregnancy Plus program – what do doctors think?
Dr. Marta Mączka claims that the program only partially meets the needs of pregnant women. Nevertheless, as the expert notes, “Pregnancy Plus” may be one of the important factors that will encourage family enlargement.
– According to Eurostat data, the birth rate per 1000 inhabitants of our country was negative and amounted to – 0,7 in 2018. A similar trend has continued in recent years. This means that we are a decreasing population, and in the economic context that the growing group of retirees from year to year will be supported by a smaller and smaller working-age population – says Dr. Mączka. – Both the “500 Plus” and “Pregnancy Plus” programs are tools designed to encourage planning and childbearing, which is important in terms of demographics and, above all, economically.
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