What’s new from 1 March?
From today, the price of the lion’s share of non-branded medicines has fallen by 6%. The price fall has come about as a result of measures taken by the Federal Government at the end of last year to reduce the cost of drugs on the National Sickness and Invalidity Insurance Institute’s (RIZIV) list of medicines.
This list is made up of prescription drugs, most of the cost of which is paid for by the state with patient paying just a small percentage of the cost. The price reduction only affects drugs that have been the RIZIV list for at least 6 years.
According, to figures from the industry federation that represents the producers of generic medicines FeBelGen, this is the case for around 85% of all drugs on RIZIV’s list.
The Federal Government hopes that the price drop will save the Exchequer 28 million euro/year. The price fall comes on top of an average fall of 20% in the price of generic medicines between 2011 and 2014.
New measures to help tackle burn-out
A law passed in September of last year to tackle the issue of burn-out and other psychosocial issues related to work comes into force from today.
Employers now don’t only have to take measures to prevent violence, sexual harassment and bullying in the work place, but they will also have to draw up an action plan to tackle psychosocial issues such as stress and burn-out.
The companies had until today to draw up such a plan. From now out the staff handbook at all companies in Belgium must contain the details of someone that can be contacted if psychosocial issues arise.
The name and contact details of a confident must also be listed in the staff handbook and an explanation must be given on the internal procedures followed if psychosocial issues are raised.
