TEİS President addresses pharmaceutical pricing and supply issues

Nurten Saydan, President of the All Pharmacist Employers Union (TEİS), has addressed systemic issues affecting medication accessibility and costs. She stated that pharmacists should not be held responsible for rising patient costs, increased examination contributions, or shortages of influenza vaccines and other essential medicines.

Saydan highlighted a critical discrepancy regarding the Public Institution Discount (KKİ) required by the Social Security Institution (SGK). She noted that while the Medula prescription system automatically deducts these discounts, many pharmaceutical companies are delivering drugs to pharmacies without applying the discount at the warehouse level. This mismatch forces citizens to pay higher out-of-pocket costs and places an undue burden on pharmacies. Saydan called on the SGK to hold manufacturers directly accountable for failing to apply these mandatory discounts.