Quito, February 22, 2023
This Wednesday, February 22, 2022, the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) and the Council of Ministers of Health of Central America (COMISCA) signed a temporary participation agreement to manage the acquisition of excellent quality medicines at low cost and for the benefit of the Ecuadorian population.
The agreement was signed in the city of Quito, by the Minister of Public Health, José Ruales, and the Executive Secretary of COMISCA, Alejandra Acuña Navarro.
During his speech, the head of the MSP mentioned that the strategy allows for appropriate and transparent contracting with suppliers, pharmaceutical companies and distributors of medical supplies and devices at the regional level.
“This mechanism allows countries to articulate and generate favorable results in terms of prices, quality and opportunity. This is a successful experience from which the Ministry of Health will obtain results for the benefit of the Ecuadorian population”, he said.
The Ministry of Health executes four drug supply strategies for health establishments. These are: Close Medicine Plan, acquisition by electronic catalog, regular purchase and agreements with international organizations.
Ruales indicated that they are currently working with purchases through catalogs. “We have cataloged about 400 medicines out of a basic table of about 950, however, only 777 have the capacity to be cataloged and, therefore, to enter an electronic reverse auction to determine the supplier, the quality and the medium price. term”.
For her part, the Executive Secretary of COMISCA pointed out that they will provide all the necessary support for the country to strengthen the contracting processes. “We started a strong, articulated work, with technical advice that allows the acquisition of medicines at low cost, with open and transparent negotiation processes,” she mentioned.
Undoubtedly, the signing of the Temporary Adhesion Agreement of Ecuador to the Mechanism for Joint Negotiation of Medicines represents a fundamental step to strengthen the contracting processes in this State portfolio.
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