On today's meeting, the Executive has approved an Emergency Ordinance by which, the health insurance houses and the National Health Insurance House are authorized to conclude supplementary legal commitments in 2010 too, worth up to 500 million lei for the payment of medicines with or without personal contribution, Health Minister, Cseke Attila has announced.
"The legislative act aims to ensure the uninterrupted access of population to medicines with or without personal contribution, in ambulatory. Failure to secure additionally the loan commitment would lead to impossibility of providing medical care in ambulatory, which would have a major negative impact on the health status of patients, with irreversible consequences on their lives, " Minister of Health, Cseke Attila stated.
Also, on today's meeting, the Executive approved the Decision for the purchase of BCG vaccine with support from United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) the international intergovernmental organization established by the United Nations General Assembly.
The Health Minister stated that on the basis of this legislative act, the Ministry of Health is to acquire one million doses of anti-TBC vaccine, so as to ensure recovery of the vaccination of all children born during February to May 2010, and vaccination of all new - born in the following nine months, as provided by the National Immunisation Program.

The costs involved by the purchase of 1 million doses of BCG vaccine amount to 81.732 USD, of which 30% will be paid in advance, Minister of Health stated. "For a dose of vaccine, we will pay 27 cash, costs lower than those acquired by the Cantacuzino Institute last year," Minister Attila Cseke added. Minister of Health has estimated that the purchase of one million doses of vaccine will be completed in 4-5 weeks after the publication in the Official Gazette of the legislative document adopted today.

Background Information:
On the basis of the Framework Cooperation Agreement between the Romanian Government and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) approved by Government Decision no. 295/1992, UNICEF has voiced its readiness to back the Health Ministry to facilitate the procurement procedures of BCG vaccine from manufacturers approved by the international World Health Organization.

The Romanian State ensures annually, for free, in maternities, BCG vaccination of all newborns within the National Immunisation Program. There is thus prevented the invasive forms, tuberculosis of children, and also contributes to reducing incidence of disease in the general population.
Yearly, the Ministry of Health has concluded a BCG vaccine supply contract with the national vaccine manufacturer - the National Institute of Research and Development in Microbiology and Immunology (NIMRD) "Cantacuzino" in order to ensure the necessary amounts of vaccine for all newborns during that year.
In 2009, the Cantacuzino Institute delivered to the Ministry of Health the amounts of vaccine needed, but due to refurbishment works at the production line, the Institute ceased the production process in the second quarter of the year, thus ensuring the necessary amounts only by the end of January 2010.