Czech healthcare has undergone significant changes over the past decade, yet it still awaits key reforms to ensure the availability of modern treatments. Diego Basso, Managing Director of Boehringer Ingelheim Czech Republic, emphasizes the need to strengthen the role of general practitioners and remove prescription restrictions. He also explains what responsibility toward future generations means to him.
Boehringer Ingelheim is among the 20 largest biopharmaceu tical companies in the world. With headquarters in Ingelheim, Germany, it employs almost 55 thousand people worldwide and operates in over 130 markets. In the Czech Republic it has been active for many years. How has Czech healthcare evolved over that time?
Over the past decade, Czech healthcare has undergone significant changes. Investments in the infrastructure, such as hospital modern ization and the acquisition of new technologies, have led to improve ments in the quality of care. Despite this improvement, some special ists are still lacking and long waiting times in certain regions remain a major issue. Access to innovation, especially in medicines and modern therapies, is frequently limited and slow. If Czech healthcare is to meet the demographic and epidemiological challenges of the coming years, deeper reforms will be essential.
Would you say that modern medicines are readily available to Czech patients today? Where do we still encounter limitations and areas for improvement?
In terms of outcomes and quality of care, Czech healthcare ranks among the best in Europe. Still, it faces several challenges and changes ahead – demographic shifts, shortages of doctors and healthy personnel, the transformation of smaller hospitals into long-term care facilities, financing stabilization amid the risk of higher indirect tax burdens, private payments in the system, and supplementary insurance. Specific issues relate to how care is organized. On one hand, the Czech system of so-called “center-based care” –specialized facilities authorized to use the most advanced treatments – is well established. On the other hand, we face budget constraints, prescription limitations, and indication restrictions that unfortunately prevent many patients from accessing innovative therapies. These are areas where I see significant room for improvement.
How do you perceive the regulatory environment in the Czech Republic compared to other EU countries?
One example stands out: the shift toward strengthening the role of general practitioners. They should act as coordinators of care. In close cooperation with outpatient specialists and other healthcare providers, they should ensure patients receive the most comprehensive care possible. To fully assume the role of managing cardio-renal-metabolic conditions, GPs must be allowed to prescribe modern treatments. Today, some safe and proven medications for chronic diseases are restricted to specialized centers. Yet in many EU countries, these treatments are routinely prescribed by general practitioners. Expanding prescription rights would accelerate access to treatment, ease the burden on specialized centers, and improve the efficiency of the entire system.
Boehringer Ingelheim has a strong presence in our region, from research to manufacturing. Where is your company headed next?
Our ambition is to be a leader in the therapeutic areas we focus on – whether it’s cardio-renal-metabolic diseases, pulmonary fibrosis, MASH, obesity, mental health, or oncology. We aim to deliver innovative treatments and technologies that improve patient prognosis and quality of life. At the same time, we’re committed to advancing our technologies, partnerships, and clinical research. Innovation is a long term commitment for us, for generations to come.
If you had to name one or two things that should change in Czech healthcare, what would they be?
The first is fortunately already moving in the right direction – the reform of preventive check-ups at general practitioners. The proposed amendment to the regulation introduces a more modern and individualized approach to patients, expands the scope, and increases the frequency of prescribed lab tests including a new detailed screening for chronic kidney disease. This will lead to an earlier detection of risk factors and a better definition of cardiovascular-metabolic-renal risk in patients. It’s a great step forward and one of the most progressive prevention models in the EU. The second point is that if a GP can detect a disease early, they must also have the tools to treat patients effectively. Current prescription restrictions hinder this potential. Removing them would benefit patients and be a cost-effective measure for the state – an investment in better population health.
Many companies today talk about sustainability and social responsibility. How do you approach these challenges?
For us, it’s not just about green policies, but a broader concept of responsibility. At Boehringer Ingelheim, this is embodied in our Sustainable Development for Generations initiative, which connects all our activities in health, social responsibility, and environmental protection. In the Czech Republic, we focus, for example, on preventing childhood obesity – a topic that will significantly impact the health of the next generation. Equally important are our projects aimed at reducing our carbon footprint and investing in the development of our people.
