An increasing number of patients are faced with the impossibility of obtaining free medicine prescribed by their attending physician. The reason for this is not only the frequent lack of necessary drugs in pharmacies, but also the dishonesty of their employees who refuse to serve beneficiaries. How to protect your rights?

According to the requirements of Roszdravnadzor, there is a clear algorithm of actions that the pharmacist must adhere to if the pharmacy does not have the subsidized medicine needed by the patient. But not all citizens know about it. Therefore, upon hearing a refusal, they purchase expensive drugs with personal funds, while leaving violators of their rights without punishment.

What should a pharmacy employee do if there are no subsidized medications?

If the free drugs prescribed by the doctor are not available in the pharmacy at the time of the patient’s request, the pharmacist has the right to offer similar drugs that are available. If the client refuses to receive substitute medications, then the pharmacist is obliged to act according to the following algorithm:

1. Accept a discounted prescription from the patient.
2. Register it in a special pharmacy journal of unmet demand, assigning it the status of deferred maintenance.
3. Enter prescription data into the institution's electronic program.
4. Submit a written/electronic request for medications to the supplier company.

The authorized pharmaceutical organization must also register the incoming request and provide an official response to the pharmacy regarding the presence/absence and availability of this drug. If the application cannot be satisfied on its part, the pharmacy must purchase the drug itself, and the costs incurred will subsequently be compensated by the state.

If the drug is not available at the pharmacy indicated by the doctor who wrote out the preferential prescription, the patient has the opportunity to get it at another social pharmacy, provided that it is located on the territory of the same municipality, and the heads of both institutions have agreed on this point among themselves. If the drug in the required dosage is not available, the pharmacist can replace it with a drug with a lower dosage, but increasing its volume to an amount that will be sufficient for therapy. At the same time, to dispense the drug in a larger dosage than prescribed, you must contact your doctor for another prescription. No pharmacy has the right to limit the volume of subsidized medicine. Only the attending doctor has this competence.

How long does it take for the pharmacy to provide medications?

Roszdravnadzor allocates 10 working (not calendar!) days for the delivery of previously unavailable medications. If the drugs were prescribed through a medical commission, then this period increases to 15 days. The client is notified of the arrival of the order often by telephone on the same day that the necessary funds arrive at the pharmacy.

Where should I file a complaint against a pharmacy?

If, after the specified period, the delivery of the missing medicine was not carried out, or the pharmacist completely refused to serve the client with a preferential prescription, you can first try to resolve the controversial situation by filing a complaint with the manager of the pharmacy. If the violation is not eliminated, you must file an oral or written complaint against the establishment, outlining the essence of the problem. Below are the main ways to file a complaint against a social pharmacy that violates the rights of a beneficiary to receive medicines:

• Call the hotline of the Department of Health of your city/region. You can find out its number from the help desk operators or on the structure’s website, where you can also familiarize yourself with the specialists’ work schedule;
• Contact the hotline operators of the Pharmacy Department of the Department of Health of your city/region, finding out its contact information in a similar way;
• Leave a request on the official website of Roszdravnadzor, indicating your contact information, the name and address of the pharmacy, and a detailed description of the current situation;
• Contact the administration of the clinic where the preferential prescription was issued. The specialist on duty is responsible for resolving controversial issues that arise with patients, including the provision of subsidized medications. Information about his work schedule, as well as a contact phone number, can be obtained from the reception desk;
• Submit an application to the prosecutor's office against the organization or official who created obstacles to the patient receiving free medicines, attaching copies of the passport, beneficiary ID, and prescription.

Each pharmacy has the right to refuse to issue a medicine to a person if the preferential prescription was not written on an official form or its validity period has expired. In this case, complaints against the pharmacy will not be considered. And the patient will need to contact his doctor with a request for a new prescription.

The Russian Government compiles a list of preferential medications every year. It is called the list of drugs for medical use. The list of preferential medicines for 2019 was approved by order of the Russian Government The list was approved by Decree of the Government of Russia No. 2738-r dated December 10, 2018 “On approval of the list of vital and essential medicines for 2019, as well as lists of medicines for medical use and the minimum range of medicines necessary for the provision of medical care.”

There are several different lists in the document. You need a “List of medications for medical use, including medications for medical use prescribed by decision of medical commissions of medical organizations” (Appendix 2).

• Federal beneficiaries in this case include:
  • veterans;
  • disabled people, including disabled children;
  • former minor prisoners of fascism;
  • persons exposed to radiation due to radiation accidents and nuclear tests;
  • awarded the titles of Hero of the Soviet Union, Hero of the Russian Federation or holder of the Order of Glory of three degrees (full holder of the Order of Glory);
  • family members of deceased heroes or full holders of the Order of Glory (widow (widower), parents, children under 18 years of age, children over 18 years of age who became disabled before they reached the age of 18, and children under 23 years of age studying in educational institutions for full-time study);
  • awarded the titles of Hero of Socialist Labor, Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation or awarded the Order of Labor Glory of three degrees (full holders of the Order of Labor Glory).
  ">federal beneficiaries entitled to receive Federal beneficiaries receiving a monthly cash payment (MCA) are entitled to a set of social services, which includes:
  • necessary medicines, medical products and specialized medical nutrition products for disabled children;
  • vouchers for sanatorium-resort treatment for the prevention of major diseases;
  • free travel on commuter rail and intercity transport to and from the place of treatment.

  You can receive it either in kind or in cash. In this case, the beneficiary can choose, for example, one service in kind, and two in cash equivalent.

  In what form (in kind or cash) you want to receive assistance, you must indicate in your application to the Pension Fund. The decision can be made once, without the need to confirm it annually. The application is submitted before October 1 of the current year and becomes valid on January 1 of the next year.

  The current amount of the monetary equivalent of social services can be found at website of the Russian Pension Fund. ">set of social services

  and who wrote an application for the provision of medicines and medical products in kind. They can receive all medications on the list for free. Disabled children, if there are medical indications, are given prescriptions not only for medicines and medical products, but also for specialized medical nutrition products;
• Medicines prescribed by a doctor should be received free of charge:
  • home front workers;
  • rehabilitated persons;
  • citizens recognized as victims of political repression;
  • family members of those rehabilitated who suffered as a result of repression and who are pensioners;
  • participants in the defense of Moscow;
  • heroes of the Soviet Union, heroes of the Russian Federation, full holders of the Order of Glory;
  • participants in the prevention of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis;
  • children of the first three years of life;
  • children from large families under the age of 18;
  • mothers who gave birth and raised 10 or more children;
  • orphans and children left without parental care, persons from among them while studying in state educational institutions of primary, secondary and higher vocational education;
  • pregnant women.

  A 50% discount on medications with a doctor's prescription is provided:

  • citizens awarded the signs “Honorary Donor of Russia” and “Honorary Donor of the USSR”;
  • pensioners receiving a minimum pension for old age, disability or loss of a breadwinner.
  ">Moscow beneficiaries . They can receive all the medications on the list, but some receive them for free, and some receive a 50% discount. In this case, you must be permanently or temporarily registered in Moscow;
• people with some All medications are provided free of charge to people suffering from diseases such as:
  • AIDS, HIV infection;
  • oncological diseases (they also provide free dressings to incurable cancer patients);
  • leprosy;
  • diabetes (they also provide free ethyl alcohol (100 grams per month), insulin syringes such as “Novopen”, “Plivapen” 1 and 2, needles for them, diagnostic tools);
  • mental illnesses (patients working at medical and industrial enterprises, for occupational therapy, training in new professions and employment at these enterprises);
  • schizophrenia and epilepsy;
  • Gaucher disease;
  • cystic fibrosis;
  • mucopolysaccharidosis types I, II and VI.

  Drugs intended to treat only a specific disease, are provided free of charge to people with diseases such as:

  • cerebral palsy;
  • radiation sickness;
  • systemic chronic skin diseases;
  • bronchial asthma;
  • myocardial infarction (first six months);
  • multiple sclerosis;
  • myopathy;
  • cerebellar ataxia of Pierre Marie;
  • Parkinson's disease;
  • helminthiasis (for some population groups).

  Drugs to treat some symptoms are provided free of charge to people with diseases and conditions such as:

  • hepatocerebral dystrophy and phenylketonuria;
  • acute intermittent porphyria;
  • hematological diseases, hemablastosis, cytopenia, hereditary hemopathy;
  • tuberculosis;
  • severe form of brucellosis;
  • rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis;
  • condition after heart valve replacement surgery;
  • organ and tissue transplantation;
  • pituitary dwarfism;
  • premature sexual development;
  • myasthenia gravis;
  • chronic urological diseases;
  • syphilis;
  • glaucoma, cataract;
  • Addison's disease;
  • diseases of the small and large intestine, causing the formation of a stoma, diseases of the urinary system, leading to the formation of a cutaneous stoma.
  ">diseases or conditions . Depending on the disease, they can receive free of charge either all the drugs on the list, or only those that are necessary to treat their disease, or only those that treat the symptoms of their disease or condition.

Purchasing medicines can seriously hit the pockets of even fairly wealthy citizens, not to mention vulnerable segments of the population. Therefore, at the state level, programs are being adopted to support low-income citizens and people in need of expensive treatment by providing free medicines. Read on to find out who is eligible for free medications and in what order, as well as the latest changes to the list.

Legislative regulation

Providing citizens with free medicines is carried out on the basis. In particular, it provides a set of social services for beneficiaries, which, in addition to the issuance of medicines, includes sanitary treatment and travel on intercity and urban public transport.

The categories of beneficiaries and the forms of providing them with medications are presented in more detail in Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 890 of July 30, 1994. Lists of free medications are annually reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation with mandatory publication of the results on the official website of the department.

The authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation have the right to make additions to the procedure established at the federal level. Their powers include:

• introduction of additional categories of beneficiaries;
• expansion of the list of preferential medications;
• financial support for pharmacy chains dispensing free medicines;
• increasing allocations for budgetary institutions (clinics, children's boarding schools, nursing homes, etc.) for the purchase of medicines;
• the appointment of preferential tariffs for utilities for medical industry enterprises in order to reduce the cost of their products.

All regional programs can be found on the website of the administration of your region.

Who is entitled to free medicines?

The list of persons entitled to receive free medicines is presented in. It includes the following categories of citizens.

1. WWII participants, including disabled people. This category includes military personnel, civilian personnel, employees of military enterprises, partisans and other participants in the war. In addition to medications, they are entitled to free dressings, various medical products (urine and colostomy bags, applicators, medical belts, etc.), and dentures. Persons who received wounds in the orbital area of ​​the eyes during the war are additionally given free glasses for vision correction.
2. Veterans of combat operations (Afghanistan, Chechnya, etc.). They are provided with free medicines and dentures.
3. Family members of deceased combatants. The benefit is given to parents and spouses of deceased military personnel.
4. Residents of besieged Leningrad. They can count on both medicine and free dentures.
5. Heroes of Russia and the USSR, holders of the Order of Glory.
6. Prisoners of concentration camps.
7. Disabled people of groups 1 and 2, as well as minor children with disabilities. In addition to medicines, they are entitled to assistance in the form of free medical products and dressings. Group 2 disabled people are given medications only if they are unemployed.
8. Persons exposed to radiation. Citizens, both those living in areas contaminated by radiation and those eliminating the consequences of radiation disasters, are entitled to free medicines and dentures.
9. Children under 3 years of age. For children from large families, this period is extended to 6 years.
10. Representatives of small nationalities of the Far North.

Persons who are not included in any of the listed categories can also receive preferential medications if they have a serious illness that requires expensive treatment. Such diseases include:

• HIV infection;
• oncology;
• tuberculosis;
• bronchial asthma;
• diabetes;
• multiple sclerosis;
• recovery period after internal organ transplantation;
• myocardial infarction (only during the first 6 months);
• mental illnesses, etc.

Certain groups of citizens can also count on a 50% discount on the purchase of medicines. Their list is presented in and includes:

1. pensioners with a minimum pension;
2. employed disabled people of the 2nd group;
3. unemployed disabled people of the 3rd group;
4. victims of political repression;
5. rear workers with at least 6 months of experience during the Second World War (with the exception of work in occupied territories).

Benefits for receiving medicines or purchasing them at a discount may additionally be provided by the authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation to large families, labor veterans, pregnant women, low-income and unemployed citizens.

What medications can I get?

The initial list of free medicines has been approved. Since then, it has been revised and supplemented annually. The latest version, adopted for 2018, can be found on the website of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation in the section dedicated to the drug supply department.

In total, in 2017 this list includes 646 items. This is 42 positions more than last year. In 2018, the trend towards expanding the list of free drugs will continue, and it will be replenished with another 25 items. Among them:

• antitumor agents “Panitumumab”, “Brentuximab vedotin”, “Afatinib”, “Aflibercept”, etc.;
• immunosuppressants “Apremilast”, “Pirfenidone”, “Tofacitinib”, etc.;
• medications for the treatment of the gastrointestinal tract “Mesalazine”, “Eliglustat”, hemostatics, etc.;
• hormonal drug "Lanreotide";
• antiviral agents “Narlaprevir”, “Dolutegravir”, “Dasabuvir”, etc.;
• diabetes medications Empagliflozin and Lixisenatide;
• drugs for rheumatism “Dexketoprofen”, “Perampanel”, “Tetrabenazine”, etc.;
• ophthalmic drugs "Aflibercept" and "Tafluprost";
• other medicines.

Before you start applying for benefits, be sure to consult with your doctor about whether the medications you need or their analogues are on the benefit list.

How to get benefits for free medicines?

The registration of benefits for free medicines is carried out at the territorial branches of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation. There you need to write an application and submit the following package of documents:

• passport or birth certificate;
• SNILS;
• documents confirming the right to receive benefits.

Supporting documents may include a certificate of disability, a combat veteran’s certificate, medical documents proving the presence of a serious illness (for cancer patients, diabetics, etc.), as well as other documents by which you can be classified as one of the preferential categories.

After checking the accuracy of the submitted data, the Pension Fund will issue you a certificate confirming your right to receive free medicines. There is also an alternative that allows you to monetize this benefit. In order to receive monetary compensation instead of free medicines, you must write a corresponding application to the Pension Fund and submit the above certificate, if it was issued previously.

The procedure for obtaining preferential medications at the pharmacy

Before going to the pharmacy for free medications, you must fill out a prescription at the clinic to receive them. To do this, the attending physician must provide a certificate received from the PRF confirming the right to the benefit.

Prescriptions are written out on special forms (usually forms 107/u-NP or 148 -1/u-88) and, in addition to the attending physician (paramedic), are certified by the head of the department. They must indicate the expiration date during which you need to get the medicine.

If the clinic does not have the required form, and the purchase of medications does not require delay, buy them at your own expense and keep the receipts. Later, when the doctor is able to write you a prescription, these checks will be able to reimburse you for the money spent.

To buy medicines, you need to go only to those pharmacies that are participants in the state program. Information about such organizations can be obtained from the clinic. In addition to the prescription, the pharmacist must present a passport and a medical extract confirming your diagnosis. If, for health reasons, the patient cannot visit the pharmacy on his own, any other person who has provided all the necessary documents can receive discounted medications for him.

If the pharmacy does not have the drugs you need or their analogues, you are required to order them and provide them within 10 days. The doctor, in turn, must extend the validity of the prescription. And if the prescription was lost, you are required to write it out again. In this case, a note is made in the patient’s outpatient record, and a notification about the loss of the document is sent to the pharmacy. These measures are necessary to ensure that those who find the recipe cannot use it.

There are no restrictions on the quantity or cost of medicines provided free of charge. Their quantity and dose are set by the doctor based on the patient’s diagnosis.

Features of providing regional benefits for medicines

Most regions of Russia have their own programs to provide the population with free medicines. The authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation have the right to expand the federal categories of beneficiaries, adding low-income citizens and other vulnerable segments of the population. In addition, regions can completely change the approach to assigning benefits. For example, in St. Petersburg, it is not the categories of beneficiaries that have been approved, but specific diseases for which any citizen can receive free medicine, regardless of his merits or income level.

Subjects of the Russian Federation have the right to establish their own lists of free drugs. They are developed by territorial divisions of the Ministry of Health, taking into account diseases common in the region and the capabilities of the local budget. The most extensive regional programs for the provision of preferential medicines are presented in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the Republic of Tatarstan, and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug.

The same person cannot simultaneously be a beneficiary under both the federal and regional programs. Therefore, before you apply for benefits, you should find out at what level the medicines you need are provided.

Medical professionals are required to inform patients about the possibility of receiving free medications. But this does not always happen, so for information you can contact the insurance company from which you received your compulsory medical insurance policy, as well as the local divisions of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation and the social protection fund.

The right to a regional benefit is formalized in the same manner as for a federal one. To do this, apply to the Pension Fund branch with a similar package of documents. The issuance of free drugs is also carried out only according to doctor’s prescriptions in pharmacies participating in the regional program.

Drug prices are rising faster than the incomes of most of the population. At the same time, many citizens are unaware that they have the opportunity to receive free medicines from the state. Doctors don't always care to inform patients about their rights, so never hesitate to find out for yourself.

» Are disabled people entitled to free medicine?

Are disabled people entitled to free medicine?

You can find out whether disabled people are entitled to free medications for a particular disease from this article.

The majority of our country's population suffers from various chronic diseases. Drug treatment today costs a lot of money and such costs can make a serious hole in a person’s budget.

People with disabilities feel this especially strongly, since they are forced to take large amounts of medication every day.

The Government of the Russian Federation strives in every possible way to provide support to vulnerable social strata of the population and provides some categories of citizens with the opportunity to receive free medicines.

This opportunity helps disabled citizens to somehow save money.

Who is eligible to receive preferential medications?

The legislation defines several categories of citizens who can count on free medicines:

1. Veterans and disabled people of the Second World War, as well as participants in other military actions;
2. Liquidators of accidents at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant;
3. Citizens who suffered from political repression in the 20th century;
4. People recognized as victims of political claims - spouses and relatives of those convicted for political reasons;
5. Children under three years old. For children from large families, the age limit is up to six years;
6. Disabled children under sixteen years of age;
7. Mothers of many children with at least ten dependent children;
8. Heroes of the Russian Federation and the USSR;
9. People with disabilities of groups 1-3.

• Myeloid leukemia;
• Multiple sclerosis;
• Gaucher disease;
• Cystic fibrosis;
• Hemophilia;
• Oncology;
• Tuberculosis;
• Asthma;
• Leprosy;
• Schizophrenia;
• Dystrophy;
• General blood disease;

Citizens who have undergone an internal organ transplant have the right to receive specialized medications free of charge.

The possibility of providing free medicines to people suffering from diabetes has not yet been determined.

The ability to receive the necessary medications on a preferential basis depends on the patient’s disability group. Diabetics are provided with syringes and insulin free of charge.

What medications are provided free of charge to disabled people?

The full list of free medicines available to disabled people includes about 400 items.

Providing a disabled person of groups 1-3 with a specific medicine on a preferential basis depends on the disease of the disabled person.

A person’s attending physician can provide more detailed advice on preferential dispensing of medications.

In addition to the Federal List, there is a regional list of free medicines.

Local authorities have the right to independently include certain medications in the regional preferential list.

Currently, the following categories of medicines are subject to dispensation on preferential terms to disabled citizens:

In order to receive the medicine for free, you must have a preferential prescription of the established sample. To obtain such paper, additional documents will be required.

If the data of a disabled person has already been entered into the unified Register, then re-submission of documents may not be necessary.

The list of papers for which a doctor has the authority to write free prescriptions is as follows:

• Identity document (passport);
• A paper confirming your belonging to a preferential social category;
• A paper from pension or other social support authorities confirming that a disabled citizen receives material benefits or other services on a preferential basis.
• SNILS;
• Compulsory medical insurance policy;

After receiving the prescription, the beneficiary must go to the pharmacy, where he will receive the necessary drug for free.

A person can also receive compensation from the pharmacy for the full cost of a pre-purchased medicine. To do this, he will definitely need a cash document confirming the purchase.

Also, to receive the medicine, along with a prescription, you must provide a passport and an extract from a health worker to the pharmacy, confirming the health status of the disabled person.

If a disabled citizen is faced with a lack of necessary medication, then he has every right to demand its provision within 24 hours.

If the pharmacy is unable to provide the required drug within such a period, the beneficiary has the right to provide it within ten working days.

It should be remembered that not all pharmacies have the right to dispense medications free of charge. If a disabled person does not pay for the drug, then the State will do it for him.

Therefore, a disabled person will be dispensed with the drug only in the pharmacy that has entered into an agreement with representatives of the State on compensation for preferential drugs.

If such an agreement has not been concluded, then the pharmacy has the right to refuse to dispense the drug to the person, because no one has the desire to pay for it from their own funds.

It is also important to respect the expiration dates of the prescription. As a rule, the prescription is valid for a month from the date of issue.

But there are drugs for which the issuance period can be reduced. Thus, medications containing narcotic substances can be requested no later than five days from the date of receipt of the prescription.

Toxic or psychotropic medications can be requested within a two-week period from the receipt of the prescription. If a free prescription is lost, a disabled person must contact a doctor to have it reissued.

If there is an unreasonable refusal to issue a drug, the disabled person must file a complaint with the Department of Health Protection or contact the local judicial authorities.

As a rule, employees of pharmacy institutions rarely enter into open conflict with beneficiaries.

Perhaps to resolve the conflict, it is enough to simply talk with the head or administrator of the pharmacy.

Video: Right to Free Medicines.

If you have difficulties obtaining subsidized medications (queues at clinics, lack of medications in pharmacies) - do not give up. Believe that everything will work out for you and be patient! The state provides for the possibility of receiving free medicines for certain categories of the population. But people do not always know how to defend their rights and receive the guarantees they are entitled to under the law.

• a document according to which you have the right to preferential treatment (pension certificate, veteran’s certificate);
• a certificate from the Pension Fund confirming that you did not refuse the social package, including preferential treatment (for the disabled);
• SNILS;
• compulsory medical insurance policy.