Patient groups urge procurement of therapy by New Year and request meeting with Sasho Klekovski

Patient organisations for rare diseases in North Macedonia urged that procurement of the therapy should be completed by the end of the year. They say the package includes newly approved medicines and called for an urgent meeting with the Minister of Health, Sasho Klekovski, to agree the procedure and timeline.

The groups emphasised that the inclusion of new drugs requires coordinated planning between patient associations, the Ministry of Health and procurement bodies so that the therapy becomes available without delay.

Key demands from patient associations

Representatives asked to be received by Minister Sasho Klekovski to discuss how the procurement will be carried out, which steps must be taken and which institutions will take responsibility for timely delivery.

The associations set a firm deadline: the procurement must be executed before the end of the current calendar year (by New Year). They say meeting with the minister is needed to finalise dates and the scope of the tender because new medicines are part of the therapy package.

No further details on the exact medicines or the procurement procedure were provided in the public appeal. The patient groups say they will continue to press for a meeting and for rapid action to ensure access for people with rare conditions.

Photo: press material from the event