The Ministry of Health signs a memorandum of understanding to improve access to medicines for low-income patients from non-citizens
The Ministry of Health and Prevention, Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Corporation, and Axios Health Education Services have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand the scope of the Hand in Hand initiative to provide affordable treatments to low-income, non-citizen patients whose insurance costs do not cover Diseases such as pulmonary arterial hypertension, multiple myeloma, active ulcerative colitis and psoriatic arthritis as well as uninsured patients.
The memorandum was signed at the US pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, in the presence of Megan Gregones, the US consul in the country, the accompanying delegation from the US embassy, and a number of officials from the companies "Janssen" and "Axios".
The Memorandum of Understanding, first signed in December 2018, includes up to 712 eligible patients for the program and was followed by an extension in April 2019 to provide new drugs to patients with these conditions.
The memorandum comes within the framework of the commitment of the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the companies "Janssen" and "Axios" to improve access to innovative treatments and medicines for low-income non-national patients, especially those who cannot afford the costs of treating their diseases.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by Dr. Amin Hussein Al-Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for the Health Regulation Sector at the Ministry, Jimmy Fares, General Manager of Janssen in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and Anas Nofal Al-Saffarini, Senior Manager for the Middle East and North Africa at Axios for health education services.
Amin Hussein Al-Amiri said: "The Ministry of Health and Prevention is committed to providing the best treatments and medicines to patients in the country. In this context, we launched the "Hand in Hand" initiative in cooperation with the companies "Janssen" and "Axios" in 2018. We are currently working on expanding the scope of The initiative is to support patients and enhance their access to innovative medicines.. The initiative benefits low-income non-national patients who are not covered by insurance that covers the total cost of treatment in order to improve their commitment to their treatment plan prescribed to them by the attending physician and to support qualified uninsured and uninsured patients and defaulting patients financially, who lack prescription coverage to get their treatment.
He explained that the initiative includes low-income non-national patients who have partial insurance coverage or no insurance coverage.. It aims to provide low-income non-citizen patients with specific health conditions with necessary medications, including pulmonary arterial hypertension and multiple myeloma. , active ulcerative colitis and psoriatic arthritis, and affirmed the ministry's commitment to cooperating with companies and institutions with the aim of improving services and treatments for various health conditions.
He added: "This forms part of our strategy to provide an integrated health care system for our patients and members of society in general, in accordance with the highest international standards.
His Excellency Megan Grigons said: “The 'Hand in Hand' MoU that we celebrate today is an excellent example of public-private partnership and shared commitment to patients, providing broader access to innovative medicines and hope for a better life for countless patients and their families.
For her part, Jamie Faris, General Manager of Janssen in the GCC, stated that the memorandum of understanding comes within the framework of Janssen's cooperation and coordination with the Ministry of Health and Prevention and Axios to develop programs to support low-income patients for non-nationals in the UAE.
She added that in the framework of constructive cooperation, we are facilitating access to our innovative and affordable medicines for patients and the health system as a whole.. We are committed to providing faster and more equitable access to medicines, which is part of our full commitment to provide our medicines to patients who need them in an affordable way.
Anas Nofal Al-Saffarini expressed his appreciation for the initiative and said: "The Hand in Hand initiative supports patients and meets their aspirations in terms of providing necessary and improved access to innovative medicines, which reflects our commitment in Axios to support the efforts of the Ministry and Janssen company aimed at providing medicines to patients."
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news