The Public Health Care Fund of Una-Sana Canton has severed ties to Pharmacies “Europharm” from Bihać and “Krupafarm” from Bosanska Krupa and a publicly-owned “Apoteka Sanski Most.”
The Fund terminated contracts with the pharmacies because of their the Fund’s director Almin Handanagić told the Center for Investigative Reporting in Sarajevo (CIN).
“The contract spells out that the Fund has discretion to inspect both public clinics and pharmacies. If it uncovers any deviation from the contract that counts as ground for termination, the Fund has a right to terminate a contract,” said Handanagić.
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The decision follows on the heels of an inspection that was conducted last year. The Fund had set up two commissions – one to review prescription orders filled out by the Bihać public clinic’s doctors, while the other to compare the invoices with which the pharmacies billed the Fund against the prescriptions.
The inspection revealed that some doctors wrote fake prescription orders, while pharmacies doctored some prescription orders by adding more quantity than they originally called for before billing the Fund.
Last week, the Fund Also for dispensing subsidized medicine from doctors Amir Cerić, Mehmed Hukić, Hajrudin Omerović and Refika Purić-Sarajlija because of mishandling of prescription orders.
The pharmacies and doctors have been sanctioned after CIN published a story “Prescription Order for Corruption” at the end of last year in which it exposed how some used fake and doctored prescription orders to funnel money out of the Fund.
The owner of “Europharm“ pharmacies Aida Alagić began today a peaceful protest in front of the building of the Cantonal Health Care Fund holding a banner “Who holds a grudge against Europharm pharmacies?”
She did not respond to CIN calls today. In an earlier interview she told CIN that she did not accept the Commission’s findings because a contract between the Fund and the pharmacy did not make provisions for such checks.
Tevhida Musić, the owner of “Krupafarm” and Indira Kovačević, the director of “Sanski Most Parmacies” did not want to comment on the Fund’s decision.
