Yerevan/Mediamax/. A number of hospitals bought medicines from companies producing, importing and selling medicines without a tender.

Presenting the results of studies carried out in this sphere, Chief Expert of the Analytical Department of the State Committee for the Protection of Economic Competition (SCPEC) of Armenia, Manuk Mikaelyan, said that it was up to medical institutions to decide from where to buy medicines and they bought them even at three times higher prices, Mediamax reports.

 According to him, the market price for “Amloditin”, which has a vital social importance, makes AMD 850, however the hospitals bought it for AMD 4800.

The expert noted that Shirak, Lori and Yerevan are on the first three places by the number of violations. He went on adding that the medical institutions cooperated with specific drugstores, sending their patients there. Thus, over AMD 1.5bln damage has been caused to the state budget.

According to SCPEC decision, the facts on the embezzlement of public funds and abuse will be sent to the Prosecutor General’s Office.