Senator Juan Afara introduced a bill proposing the issuance of $304 million in government bonds to financially strengthen the Instituto de Previsión Social (IPS) and meet the need for medicines and medical supplies.
The initiative comes amid the supply problems currently facing the social security institute and aims to secure the necessary resources to cover the demand of the insured for the remainder of the year.
The legislator explained that the main objective of the proposal is to provide an immediate response to the situation facing the IPS and to guarantee access to medicines and essential materials for medical care.
Afara stressed that the issuance of bonds would allow extraordinary resources to be injected into the institution, facilitating the purchase of essential products for the operation of health services.
"It is to benefit all the insured, whom we see suffering every day," the parliamentarian stated in defense of the proposal.
The bill adds to the ongoing debate in Congress about the financial and operational situation of the IPS, marked by complaints about the lack of medicines, supplies, and difficulties in the provision of services.
The senator emphasized that the project includes strict safeguards for the financial resources, ensuring they will not be used to pay existing debts with suppliers. "Not a single penny should be used to pay with this money," he firmly stated, adding that the exclusive objective is to provide immediate liquidity to the social security institute for the direct and immediate acquisition of medicines and supplies, which would allow for better market prices. Furthermore, fiscal funds will be allocated to hiring medical and administrative staff to fill vacancies in health facilities.
Regarding the temporality of the economic aid and the sustainability of the system, Afara clarified that these tools and direct purchases are designed to guarantee service coverage for a fixed period of one year. According to the senator, the measure responds to an urgent citizen demand in the face of the winter season, giving the current administration of the social security institute a prudent period to order its budget for the next fiscal year.
"What can he do without money? He must have the resources to buy and demand accountability from his people," he argued regarding the management of the IPS president.
Regarding the political viability of the proposal in the upper house, the parliamentarian reported that he has already initiated contacts with the various caucuses to ensure rapid treatment of the law. Afara confirmed that he formally submitted the bill's package to the leader of the ruling caucus, Senator Natalicio Chase, in order to unify legislative criteria.
"I believe there can be no pettiness at this time for this," he concluded, urging his colleagues to accelerate the approval of the regulations to respond to the demand of the insured.