Pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement reform in Kyrgyzstan (2016)

This report explores the causes of high out-of-pocket (OOP) payments for outpatient medicines in Kyrgyzstan and develops policy recommendations to reduce them. The analysis consisted of a review of current reimbursement mechanisms and an assessment of their ability to protect the Kyrgyz population from high OOP payments. The analysis showed that Kyrgyz patients have been confronted with increasing co-payments for reimbursed medicines in the outpatient sector. Compared to the 2013 figures, co-payments for medicines prescribed and dispensed under the reimbursed drug package increased by 20% in 2015. A contributing factor for this increase is the absence of price regulation for medicines. Another reason for observed price increases may be related to currency devaluation. Based on the findings of the analysis, this report proposes several policy options to address high OOP payments, including: introduction of price regulation including control of retail margins, review of reimbursement processes, strengthening of information systems for monitoring and evaluation, and capacity building of the stakeholders.