Implementation of the Health Reform Plan has helped reduce expenditure on medical equipment resulting in considerable savings in the health budget, according to the general secretary of the Office for Monitoring and Evaluation of Medical Equipment and Supplies.
The health plan which took off in May this year has helped lower the cost of health care equipment “in just a few months since its implementation; reducing costs by 48 percent in ophthalmology, 37% in cardiology and 34% in orthopedic sectors, said Seyyed Hossein Safavi, reports IRNA.
The official said tough competition in the market and progressive policies adopted by the ministry of health and medical education are responsible for the reduction in medical equipment costs, while noting that “some medical items have seen more price reduction than others.”
Burden Reduced
The reforms have also helped reduce the burden on patients referred by corrupt doctors to external providers of medical equipment or services, and were overcharged. Under the new regulations, medical equipment should be purchased only by medical centers and universities at fixed tariffs, thus preventing patients’ exploitation, Safavi said.
The health plan, aimed primarily at reducing medical costs in public hospitals, was launched by President Hassan Rouhani’s administration as part of his ‘government of hope and prudence’ promised during his election campaign.
