The Social Security Institute (IPS) received a batch of 124 medicines on Friday, marking the start of a restocking plan after a critical period of shortages. The products, which include oncology drugs, transplant medications, treatments for autoimmune diseases and serious infections, will be distributed throughout the institution's network of hospitals and pharmacies within one week.
IPS president Isaías Fretes stated that the medicine shortage, which reached 63%, has been reduced to 28% with recent deliveries. The goal is to lower this rate to 19% in the next 15 days. Fretes attributed the improvement to a budget reprogramming of G. 180 billion for medicines, allowing the issuance of delivery orders worth G. 140 billion for 180 items.
Cecilia Rodríguez, IPS Supply Manager, highlighted that this is the first time this year that the institution has received a significant volume of medicines, after facing budget limitations and lack of active contracts. She explained that the selection of pharmaceuticals was carried out by Health Manager Derlis León, prioritizing high-turnover products and those essential for complex treatments.
Pharmaceutical industry representatives participated in the delivery. Hernán Streber, president of the Paraguayan Chemical Pharmaceutical Industry Chamber (Cifarma), emphasized the need for financial predictability for the sector, while Édgar Villalba of the Chamber of Representatives and Importers of Pharmaceutical Products (Cripfa) praised the new IPS administration's openness to working together. The delivered medicines are expected to cover demand for approximately two months.
Additionally, IPS is advancing with a G. 450 billion tender for catastrophic disease medications, approved by the Council last Tuesday. The expectation is that supply will be normalized within 90 to 120 days, with the goal of reaching 97% coverage of the institutional formulary.