World Bank to provide EUR 15 million worth support to Montenegro's health care system

Vienna, Austria (12 May 2015) -- Montenegro’s delegation, headed by Health Minister Budimir Šegrt, and the World Bank representatives agreed Monday in Vienna on the financial support worth EUR 15 million aimed at advancing Montenegro’s health care system under very favourable conditions, as it is about a development, not commercial loan.

Minister Šegrt pointed out that the Ministry of Health is truly committed to pursuing reforms in the pharmaceutical sector thus providing permanent availability of the necessary medecines to citizens of Montenegro, in line with internationally accepted standards, emphasising it is necessary the World Bank to provide expertise and financial support to help implement the health policy.

The priorities in this area, according to Minister Šegrt, are drafting a new regulation defining criteria for determining the list of medicines refunded by the Health Insurance Fund, as well as introducing supplementary lists of drugs with partial participation, which would significantly increase the number of available drugs, and introducting a new European concept of risk sharing in order to reduce the uncertainty of treatment outcomes.

One of the topics discussed in yesterday’s meeting in Vienna was the support for improving the management capacity in Montenegro’s health institutions, designing and implementing the IBIS information system, more efficient spending in the the health care system, drug policy, support for the construction of a new operation section at the Clinical Center of Montenegro, as well as boosting quality of health care through tntroducing guides, guidelines, protocols, accreditation, licensing system and health technology assessment.