BAMPTD with first prize in the Patient Project category at the Second Awards Innovation in Healthcare, organized by Capital Weekly and Abbvie
The Missing Medicines Search Platform, created by BAMPTD and FBPF in 2018, ranked 5th out of all 52 medical, patient and digital projects
BAMPTD online platform won the first prize in the Patient Project category in the second edition of the Healthcare Innovation and Good Practices competition, organized by Capital Weekly and the biopharmaceutical company Abbvie. 52 projects participated in the competition, with the best projects being honored during the Sixth Annual Conference on Innovation and Good Practices in the Health Sector today. The award of BAMPTD CEO Boryana Marinkova and FBPF Chairman Ivan Dimitrov was presented by Prof. Assen Baltov – Director of the University National Emergency Hospital “Pirogov”.
Bulgaria’s first online signaling and search platform for medicines in short supply was evaluated by a jury of proven healthcare experts, led by Dr. Daniela Daritkova – Chairperson of the National Assembly’s Health Committee. The members of the jury met on October 30 and voted in real time on a five-point system with criteria regarding the benefits for patients and how the practice improves or saves their lives. The projects that demonstrate the introduction of innovation or good practice, which has not been implemented in our country yet, were highly appreciated.
The total number of points received by BAMPTD from the vote is 390. The first place in Medical Category is for the unique for the world operation of a bicuspid valve with minimally invasive methods, performed by cardiac surgeons and scored 417 points. Second place was for an advanced pediatric urology operation in Pirogov, third for the saved lives of a pregnant woman and her fetus with an endovascular approach by vascular surgeons, and fourth place again for the National Emergency Hospital with its program for children’s health. For the first time in the history of the competition, the patient project was ranked in the top 10 because of the importance of the cases reported by hospitals and doctors.
The prestigious first place in its category and the 5th place in the overall jury ranking show that the BAMPTD project has been evaluated for its innovativeness and utility for patients and the society.
The innovation and good practice of BAMPTD platform consists in the organization of signal collection and patients’ service. The alert form is extremely convenient and does not require patients to fill in personal data except a contact phone number, drug name and place of search. Filling takes less than 10 seconds. Currently, 685 signals have been submitted and served from all over Bulgaria.
Fast feedback is most appreciated by patients. They are contacted for up to 12 hours and the average time for solving a case is 30 hours. The partnership with distributors and pharmacies is at the heart of the rapid and complete provision of information, which has been upgraded by the FBPF national network and good contacts with doctors and hospitals throughout the country. This results in 34% of the 685 cases of finding the drug sought in the city from which the alert was issued, and when the drug is unauthorized, deregistered or with permanently suspended supplies – in informing about the regulations, the options under Ordinance 10 for unauthorized medicines or in the advice of urgent consulting with a physician. Feedback satisfaction is very high, as evidenced by many thankful written reviews.
Members of the jury:
Dr. Daniela Daritkova, Health Committee Chairperson at the National Assembly; Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev, National Health Inspector, Dr. Ivan Madjarov, Bulgarian Medical Union, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Assen Medzhidiev, Sofia Doctors Union, Stanislav Krumov, Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union, Prof. Dr. Nikolay Danchev, National Council on Prices and Reimbursement of Medicinal Products, Momchil Mavrov, University Hospital “St. Georgi “, Prof. Dr. Assen Baltov, University Emergency Hospital “Pirogov “, Dr. Yordan Pelev,” Sofiamed “, Dr. Venelina Mileva,” Acibadem City Clinic Tokuda Hospital “, Prof. Dr. Ivan Kostov, University Hospital “Mother’s Home”, Andrey Markov, Bulgarian Hospital Association, Dr. Nikolay Boltadzhiev, National Association of Private Hospitals, Mira Ganova, Bulgarian Cluster for Digital Solutions and Innovations in Healthcare, Prof. Asena Stoimenova, Medical University – Sofia Prof. Dobriana Sidzhimova, Health Policy and Management Digest, Dr. Stanimir Hasardzhiev, National Patient organization, Ivan Dimitrov Federation “Bulgarian Patients’ Forum”, Deyan Denev, Association of Research-based Pharmaceutical Manifacturers, Maria Sharkova, Sharkova & Partners, Dr. Kuncho Trifonov, Health PR, Galya Prokopieva, Economedia, and Dr. Kiril Nikolchev, Abbvie.
Information about BAMPTD platform:
The Platform was created as part of a joint action program between BAMPTD and FBFF, set out in a Memorandum of Cooperation. With it, the FBPF and BAMPTD declare that they are uniting their efforts in a cooperation program for access for Bulgarian patients to therapy through joint actions to build an effective regulatory framework that will allow rapid delivery in the face of proven drug shortages and regulation of drug imports who are deregistered for reasons other than pharmacovigilance. By virtue of the memorandum on its website, www.parallel-trade-development.org, BAMPTD maintains a shortage hotline through its nationwide missing drug alert platform. For the period June 09, 2018 – November 12, 2019, 685 signals were submitted and served.
BAMPTD platform in figures:
- 65% of shortage signals would be solved through import
- 22% of all alerts are due to deregistering medicinal products
- In 70% of the alerts, lack of or poor quality information is the reason for reporting the missing medicine
- 33% of people are aware of which nearby pharmacies can get their medicine
- 678% are referred to their physicians to consult their therapy for lack of import or unauthorized
- The average feedback time is 12 hours
- The resolution of alerts takes up to 30 hours on average
The main causes of signaling medicines deficiency:
- Permanently suspended imports or discontinued sales on the Bulgarian market
- Temporary suspended imports or suspended sales on the Bulgarian market
- Production problems
- Medicines were flagged because they were not found in the first pharmacy in the township, while being available at other pharmacies in the same city
- Unauthorized medicines in Bulgaria
- Hospital products that cannot be available at an outdoor pharmacy