Ana Dodea (source: Festival of Future/AmCham)
You came to Slovakia in May 2023, after six years of leading the Policy & Market Access team for MSD's largest subsidiary in Southeast Europe. You are well experienced in international consulting in several industries in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Turkey. How do you perceive the Slovak healthcare system, its pitfalls, and opportunities?
Health care is a complex matter for every government, Slovakia is no exception. A common pitfall is investing in health care in waves - long periods of no or limited investment in health care alternating with short investment explosions that last a year or two. As a result, both patients and healthy citizens are underserved, even though everyone contributes to the health insurance budget. Another consequence is that health authorities are overwhelmed with the "costs" of health care. Unfortunately, the same formula applies to Slovakia. That is why we need strategy cycles of at least 5 or 7 years with a clear budgetary commitment. The greatest opportunity for the system would be a constructive dialogue with the industry.
Recently, there has been a lively discussion about sustainable financing of healthcare. In addition to politicians, experts, patients, and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry are involved in the dialogue. Are you?
We would like to see more engagement with all health authorities. Our company is a member of the Innovative Pharmaceutical Industry Association (AIFP) and I am also a member of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham). Both industry and government should strive for sustainability and predictability when it comes to budgets but also patients’ care.
Ana Dodea (source: Vizionári/Grape PR)
What would you like to see in the coming year?
I would like to see a more constructive dialogue in which we are all on the same side of the table – on the side of the patients! Prevention is our big priority, and we would like to see more government focus in this area. According to the NCZI, cancer is the 2nd most common cause of death in Slovakia, while according to the OECD, Slovakia has one of the highest mortality rates from preventable deaths. This can be solved by creating good policies and implementing them consistently. I believe that the update of the National Cancer Plan is a great opportunity to address some of these problems systematically.
What complicates this journey?
I am not sure there is an aligned national vision of what healthcare should deliver as specific outcomes for patients. The positive spillover effect of healthcare into economic and social prosperity also seems to be ignored. In the countries that have the best prepared health systems for the future, healthcare investment is high and stable. Healthcare should be a political priority, but it should not be politically colorued, because we are all vulnerable before diseases. Continuity and expertise in healthcare bodies need to be preserved. The experts are the ones who can create and implement strategies that we urgently need to move forward.
MSD Slovakia has been operating on our market for more than 30 years. How do you enrich our healthcare system?
I am very proud that next year we will celebrate 32 years of existence in Slovakia. During these decades, we employed a significant number of people and brought breakthrough therapies to Slovak patients regardless of the conditions in the country. Also, as world leaders in oncology and preventative solutions (vaccines), we make significant efforts to create more affordable access to our therapeutical solutions and hence believe strongly in a private-public partnership. Last, but not least, we have increased investment in clinical trials in Slovakia, which provide access to innovation while creating savings for the healthcare budget.
This article has been brought to you by Merck Sharp & Dohme, s. r. o.
