Pharmacies Sanctioned for Prescription Abuse

The Health Insurance Institute terminated contracts with three pharmacies today due to prescription abuse in the Una-Sana Canton, reports the BH news agency Patria.

The pharmacies „Europharm” from Bihać and „Krupafarm“ from Bosanska Krupa, as well as the Health Institution “Apoteka Sanski Most”, can no longer do business with the Health Insurance Institute of the Una-Sana Canton (ZZO USK) as of today.

The Institute terminated contracts with these pharmacies due to improper handling of prescriptions, confirmed Almin Handanagić, director of the Institute, to journalists from the Center for Investigative Journalism (CIN).

- The contract stipulates that the Institute has the right to conduct inspections both in health centers and in pharmacies, and if it finds certain deviations defined in the contracts for unilateral termination, the Institute has the right to terminate the contract - Handanagić said.

This decision was made following an inspection conducted last year. Namely, the Institute then formed two commissions – one controlled the prescribing and dispensing of medications at the Bihać Health Center, and the other conducted an inspection of invoices and prescriptions submitted by contracted pharmacies.

The inspection showed that some doctors wrote fake prescriptions, and pharmacies altered prescriptions by adding a larger quantity of medication and invoiced the Institute accordingly.

Also, last week, the Institute revoked the authorization to prescribe medications from the essential list from doctors Amir Cerić, Mehmed Hukić, and Hajrudin Omerović of the Bihać Health Center, and doctor Refika Purić-Sarajlija of the Velika Kladuša Health Center, due to prescription abuse.

The mentioned pharmacies and doctors were sanctioned after CIN published the story „Recipe for Corruption“ at the end of last year, which showed that some doctors and pharmacists were extracting money from the USK Institute through fake and altered prescriptions.

The owner of the „Europharm“ pharmacies, Aida Alagić, began a peaceful protest today in front of the building of the USK Health Insurance Institute, holding a sign reading “Who is bothered by Europharm pharmacies?”.

She did not answer calls today, but earlier told CIN journalists that she does not accept the Commission's findings, because the contract between the Institute and these pharmacies does not provide for such an inspection.

Tevhida Musić, owner of the “Krupafarm” pharmacy, and Indira Kovačević, director of the Health Institution “Apoteka Sanski Most”, did not wish to comment on the Institute's decision to CIN journalists.

Center for Investigative Journalism (CIN)