14 August 2002
Debt forces Brest authorities to stop supplying free, discount drugs

 Authorities in Brest have ordered the city's health establishments to stop issuing free or discount prescriptions until September 15. The city
government runs up a 2-billion rubel (over $1 million) debt to the state-run pharmaceuticals supplier, RUP Farmatsiya. Because of the growing debt, RUP Farmatsiya limited the distribution of drugs on free and discount prescriptions on July 1. Doctors, however, continued prescribing free and discount drugs to their patients.
As many as 37 groups in Belarus are entitled to free or discount medications for 57 diseases. Free prescription drugs are now available in Brest only to World War II veterans, children, people with cardiovascular diseases, bronchial asthma, epilepsy and the Parkinson disease. The city government is set to settle the debt before September 15, a RUP Farmatsiya executive officer told BelaPAN.