Spending on medicines reached 30% only in the middle of the year

Even though the pandemic has shown that our healthcare system is in severe deficit, two years later, our leaders and officials are not showing that they are capable of improving.

This was demonstrated in a data analysis conducted by the Ministry of Health regarding buying drugs. To date, only 30% of the total budget has been executed, amounting to SGD 943.6 million.

On this occasion, Abel Salinas, former minister Healthexplained to management that poor mid-year performance was indicative of serious management problems and a fragmented healthcare system.

“The constant change of authorities, ministers, deputy ministers, directors … not only cannot be interpreted as improvisation, but it does not allow for clear goals, a sustainable policy, or a management plan,” he specified.

The former official had the opportunity to take advantage of corporate drug procurement, but this did not happen due to the lack of a powerful drug regulator and lack of initiative on the part of Minsa.

More than 600 million soles left to perform

According to the Transparency Portal Ministry of Economy and Finance, it is necessary to spend S / 689 million, which remain on medicines, between the three levels of government. Most of this money belongs to the national government, which had SGD 743.5 million this year, but had only fulfilled 25.4% by 17 July.

Regional governments also have a 33.1% progress despite having received S/195.3 million. Meanwhile, local governments have advanced 28.2% of the SG$4.7 million allocated to them.

Now the question is whether governments will be able to fulfill all budget until the end of 2022, as the trend of previous years shows that between 2018 and 2021, the maximum execution they have achieved is 83%. For this 2022, the Modified Institutional Budget (PIM) is S/2040.1, of which 27.1% has been spent.

Poor people spend five times more on medicines

A study by Videnza Consultores found that the health care costs of the poorest Peruvians have increased five-fold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although their prices are 66% lower than in Latin America, as a result of the pandemic, they had to buy more due to the pandemic situation.