Hope for SMA patients: Another drug added to the SSI reimbursement list

Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan announced an important development that will bring joy to children with SMA and their families. Minister Işıkhan stated that another drug used in the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has been included in the Social Security Institution (SSI) reimbursement list.

Sharing the development on his social media account, Minister Işıkhan stated, “In order to ensure that our citizens receive better services through our Social Security Institution, we have taken new steps in the areas of access to health, security, and digital monitoring.”

Işıkhan provided the following information in his post:

Another SMA drug that provides ease of use, which was previously announced, has been added to the reimbursement list.

Drugs used in computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging will no longer be obtained by citizens from pharmacies, but will be provided directly by hospitals.

A digital monitoring regulation has also been implemented to allow for the real-time tracking of patient health data in intensive care units.

IT WAS ALSO ANNOUNCED IN HIS PREVIOUS STATEMENT

Minister Işıkhan had signaled this step in his speech at the 14th Private Hospitals and Health Institutions Association Congress held in Antalya on April 11. In that speech, he had announced that in addition to the drug that has been reimbursed since 2017, another SMA drug that provides ease of use would also be covered by the state.

Minister Işıkhan had stated, “In addition to the drug used in the treatment of our children with SMA, which has been reimbursed since 2017, we are adding another drug that offers ease of use in the treatment of the disease to our SSI reimbursement list for our children.”