Paraguay's Social Security Institute (IPS) announced a contingency plan to address supply shortages and a structural change in the medicine purchasing system. From now on, doctors will define the institutional formulary, a function previously carried out by the administrative sector. The measure includes the initial removal of medical and surgical supplies from the catalog.
According to engineer Cecilia Rodríguez, IPS Supply and Logistics manager, of the 513 listed medications, more than 45% – just over 200 drugs – consume 95% of the institution's budget. “This is about reorganizing this list of supplies a bit,” she stated. Rodríguez highlighted that the problem dates back to previous administrations, 10 to 15 years, and that there had never been a detailed analysis like the current one. “We are giving a lot of participation to all department heads, because they are the ones who use the medications for patients,” she explained.
The engineer also reported that IPS has electronic systems, such as the SIH (Intrahospital System), which allow traceability of medical prescriptions and monitoring of inventories from the Sanitary Park to hospital pharmacies across the country. “We have all the information on what arrives at the Sanitary Park and from there it is distributed to pharmacies,” she concluded.