A website where everyone can obtain detailed information on procurement of medicines and medical equipment in their area has been put in operation in Ukraine. The intelligence module for medical procurement collects information on medical procurement in the ProZorro system since as early as 2015.

The new tool was presented in the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center on October 31. It was developed by the Ukrainian chapter of the global anti-corruption network Transparency International with the support of the Renaissance foundation.

“The sector of medical procurement is favorable for corruption n any country […], which is why civic control is critical in this case. Only inclusion of people in this process can yield the maximum result. No official can change the system without the support of proactive citizens,” says Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, executive director of TI Ukraine.

Photo credit: UCMC

To make procurement efficient, we need to know the situation on the market […] Before, to understand how much paracetamol the entire country had procured and how much it had planned to procure, what the prices had been, what hospitals and manufacturers had been involved, we would have spent months to send and process requests. Now, it will take us a few seconds. It can help us to develop more efficient procurement strategies,” said Viktor Nestulia, acting CEO of SE Medical Procurement of Ukraine at the presentation.

The module displays information on procurement of medical goods: medication and equipment. The data are loaded from the electronic system ProZorro going back to 2015. The procuring entities are hospitals, healthcare departments, schools, military units and any entity that has ever procured medical equipment or medication.

The intelligence module allows anyone to see who has procured medication and in what amounts. You can search by the name of the active substance.

Using the tool, representatives of the Ministry of Healthcare will be able to follow the situation on the medical procurement market. Healthcare departments will be able to identify hospitals with inefficient procurement.

Users will be able to compare the prices for medication with specific active substance and see which ones are purchased more often. They will also be able to see whether the market in a certain area is divided between several companies.

The module can also filter medication based on the type: homeopathy, herbal, whether it is included in the National List of Principal Medication.

To make the use of the tool easier, the developers have created a Facebook group where anyone can ask questions and follow updates.