Cheredinina: Volgograd Region was late with concluding contracts for supply of drugs to privileged patients

Applications for drugs to privileged patients were drawn up in the Volgograd Region based on available budget funds, rather than on the patients' actual needs, said Oksana Cheredinina, a senior assistant to the Public Prosecutor of the Volgograd Region. In September, the regional authorities plan to reconcile with local MPs additional 100 million roubles for buying medicines.

The prosecutor's check conducted in June and July established that the health bodies of the region had provided the data on the actual needs of the citizens entitled to benefits in buying pharmaceuticals and medical devices to the sum of over 724,967,000 roubles.

However, the regional budget has actually assumed 5 times less funds for buying drugs for such citizens, namely about 170 million roubles, Oksana Cheredinina told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"The point is in the consumables for insulin pumps for children and the drug Diabeton – the most commonly prescribed medicines for treatment of diabetes," said Oksana Cheredinina.

"One of the main reasons of this situation is the bringing by the Ministry of Public Health to the regional health institutions of fund limits for 2013; therefore, applications are formed based on the available budget funds, not on the actual patients' needs," said the representative of the Prosecutor's Office.

The Public Prosecutor of the Volgograd Region has made a presentation to the Chairman of the Regional Government demanding to eliminate the violations and bring the guilty officials to disciplinary liability.