17 November 2009, 16:41
Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, believes that the Parliament will override the President´s Veto on the Law "On Moratorium on the Increase of Prices and Tariffs for Medicine and Medical Goods"
"I believe that The Verkhovna Rada shall override the President´s veto on this Law", - V.Lytvyn stated on Tuesday, commenting upon the prospects of this Law at the press conference in Kharkiv.
The Head of the Parliament believes that imposing the veto, the Head of State "took the side of the producers and importers of medicine and medical goods". "However, the number of people in need of medicine is higher, - V.Lytvyn stated. If the veto is overridden, the State shall supply the people with medical goods".
Moreover, the Parliament shall scrutinize another two Bills vetoed by the President, i.e. on the allocation of UAH 1 billion from the funds of the National Bank of Ukraine to overcome flu epidemic, and on the increase of excise duty on tobacco and alcoholic beverages. The funds received from the excise duty were to be allocated for social needs and demands of the Defense and Foreign Affairs Ministries.
"The issue concerning veto overriding will be obviously brought before Parliament in the nearest time", - V.Lytvyn expects. However, he doubts that the Law on the increase of excise duty will be overridden. "Although the importance of this Law is apparent, the political campaign principle still works: the worse the situation in the country is, the easier it is to fight with political opponents", - the Head of the Parliament explained.
"I believe that the epidemiological situation shall facilitate scrutiny of the issue concerning public supply of medicine and medical goods, since the State supplies only 30% of domestically produced medicine. For a country to be independent in this aspect, this rate shall reach 50-70%", - the Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stated. He also has a critical attitude towards the purchase of only 13% of imported medicine at the expense of the public funds, as "the corresponding public institutes give the complete control to the commercial enterprises".
"It is today that the purchase of medicine and medical goods shall be thoroughly analyzed, and relevant conclusions shall be made. The State Budget shall not support the resellers, as it results in the increase of prices for medicine", - stated V.Lytvyn.