The government of Tabaré Vázquez announced, at the end of September, they will study a review of the purchase of medicines guaranteed by the State. The announcement was made within the framework of the VII Latin American Meeting on the Right to Health and the Health System, organized by the World Bank with the support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The workshops promoted dialogue among representatives of the Ministry of Health of Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Paraguay and Costa Rica on access to high-priced medicines. The rest of the countries are expected to start analyzing similar measures in the coming months.

Currently, Uruguay and Colombia are the two Latin American countries that provide the most expensive medicines to the population. In this way, and in line with the decisions of the World Health Assembly, Jorge Basso, Uruguay’s Minister of Health and who chaired the meeting in Montevideo, announced that the country is making progress in the incorporation of high-cost medicines financed by the State.

During the event, governments were urged to implement public policy strategies to mitigate barriers to access to health in the face of conflicts of interest that affect medicine prices and industry profits.  On this point, Uruguay announced that the update of benefits will be analyzed publicly in the coming days, in order to ensure the transparency of the process that incorporates drugs to the list of the National Resources Fund.