The Social Insurance Institute (IPS) has decided to drastically reduce its list of medications and supplies. In a press conference on Monday, the entity's president, Isaías Fretes, reported that 817 products were removed from the institutional formulary, out of a total of 1,000 items reviewed so far.
Fretes explained that many of these supplies are no longer used in procedures such as surgeries and that the measure aims to organize purchases and prioritize medications with current clinical use. “Medicine is dynamic; over time other medications, other supplies appear,” he said. The final list is expected to expand to about 4,000 items and will be formalized after approval by the Board, likely on Thursday.
The initiative represents significant savings for social security. “We will save a significant amount of guaranis,” Fretes declared, who also revealed an accumulated deficit between US$20 million and US$26 million. The IPS president was emphatic in linking the formulary review to the fight against corruption: “Changing the formulary is entering the heart of corruption.”
In parallel, a team of auditors led by Alberto Cabrera, auditor general of the Executive Branch, will inspect the inventory of medications and materials, verifying whether deliveries match tenders and contracts. The audit will also cover the management of the IPS's more than 800 properties, including ownership status and rental contracts, to assess costs and benefits.