In mid January, a Paraguayan health delegation, together with the National Directorate of Public Contracting, met with authorities of the Ministry of Health of Chile with the aim of sharing experiences on issues of public purchases of medicines. It is expected that from these meetings both countries will promote initiatives to strengthen their legal framework for access to health.

This meeting stems from the Executive’s intention to improve the different stages of the supply process of medicines and supplies, within the framework of Paraguay’s Health Reform Plan. Among the topics discussed at the meeting was the Chilean experience in drug regulation and the coverage of this, with reference to Drug Law I and Drug Law II, which is being debated in Congress. In addition, the formulation and maintenance of drug coverage and the mechanisms for purchasing drugs by the public health sector were discussed.

One of the more prominent talks at the meeting concerned the issue of promoting mechanisms for negotiating and paying for high-cost drugs, through the Strategic Fund and the PAHO Revolving Fund. It is expected that this exchange of knowledge will initiate a new process of strengthening the purchase of medicines and developing policies to ensure access to these products in the regional market.