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28-01-2025

“Medicines don’t speak”: a new information campaign will help you understand how to choose and use medicines rationally

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A third of people don’t know how to avoid overpaying for reimbursable medicines at the pharmacy. Two thirds of Lithuanian households have accumulated unnecessary medicines. These and other problems highlighted by the public opinion survey show the need for more clarity and information on rational choice and use of medicines. In response to the need to improve the knowledge of the population, the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) is launching a pharmaceutical literacy campaign “Medicines don’t speak”.

According to Jolanta Normantienė, Head of the Communication Department of the NHIF, almost half of the Lithuanian population uses reimbursable medicines and medical aids, and the aim of the campaign is to provide all these people with knowledge about rational use of medicines, choice of reimbursable medicines and other issues related to pharmacy and health.

“We want to tell people more about the way how a reimbursed medicine reaches the patient, explain, how the co-payment basket of reimbursement medicines is built up, when medicines may be subject to a co-payment and when the co-payment is covered. It is equally important for all of us to know how to buy and use medicines correctly, how not to stockpile them, and what to do with them when they are no longer proper for use”, J. Normantienė lists the current topics of the information campaign “Medicines don't speak”.

According to Džeraldas Kauneckas, Project Director of “Idea Prima”, which is the change communication agency implementing the campaign, it is important to encourage people to look for reliable information sources, that can help patients answer their questions.

“The campaign slogan “Medicines don't speak” reminds us that only healthcare professionals should be consulted on all issues related to the use, purchase and other relevant matters. Internet forums, Google, artificial intelligence or advice from acquaintances are not always the right source of knowledge. We will use visual communication tools such as animations and videos to educate about how and for whom reimbursable medicines are prescribed, remind people how to purchase and use them rationally, and explain the harms of self-medication”, D. Kauneckas says.

The three-month campaign will include an educational promotional campaign on TV, social media channels, and communication dissemination in the media.

The first animated clip of the campaign is now available here.

Information for the campaign “Medicines Don't Speak” on the news website 15min.lt

The results of the representative company “Spinter Research” are available here.

The NHIF invites you:

Last updated: 24-02-2025

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