EU rep talks compulsory medical insurance in Azerbaijan

By Azernews

By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade

The issue of collection of contributions for compulsory medical insurance from the tax administration in Azerbaijan should be considered.

Advisor to the President on Twinning Projects of the European Union Gediminas Chernyauskas stated this at ceremony of presentation of twinning project entitled "Support to the application of the compulsory medical insurance system in Azerbaijan" on March 14, Trend reports.

The resident advisor recommends that state sources should prevail in the financing of the health sector in the medium term.

“Expensive medical technologies should be covered by compulsory medical insurance and should be accessible to the public. In the health care, the share of public funding should be increased. Improving the quality of medical services should be a major factor in the medium and long term,” he added.

Chernyauskas also said that a compulsory medical insurance system will be applied throughout Azerbaijan from 2020.

“With the use of the compulsory medical insurance system, the population’s needs in the field of medicine will be more and more covered, illegal payments will be eliminated, medical workers will be provided with a profitable income,” Chernyauskas said.

He also spoke about the results Azerbaijan can achieve by using compulsory medical insurance in the country in 2020-2023.

Chernyauskas noted that the availability of medical services and hospitalization will be on a loss of advanced European countries.

“Azerbaijan has all the capabilities to provide the necessary medical services. However, the performance (length of stay in the hospital, access to a doctor, the level of workload in hospitals) must be brought to the level of the EU member states or to a level close to it,” Chernyauskas concluded.

2019 can be considered the year of preparation for a full-scale implementation of the compulsory medical insurance.

Since the end of 2016, a test project on compulsory medical insurance is being implemented in Azerbaijan. The project currently covers the city of Mingachevir, as well as the Yevlakh and Agdash districts.

The project is being implemented by the State Agency for Compulsory Medical Insurance, which began operating in Azerbaijan in February 2016.

During the first year of implementation of pilot project, a lot of attention was paid to the number of services and their accessibility for the population, then within the framework of the second year the attention was paid more to quality. At the same time, organizers prepared a plan for a full transition of the entire country to compulsory medical insurance.

In July 2018, a consultant who would be responsible for the successful transition period was appointed. A lot of work has been done and a special road map was prepared.