Background on Eduardo Clark and His Role
Eduardo Clark, the Subsecretary of Integration and Development of the Health Sector in Mexico, has been working diligently to improve the availability of medicines and medical supplies across the country. His recent announcement highlights significant progress in supply coverage, but also sheds light on the persistent challenges posed by non-compliant suppliers.
Progress in Medicine and Medical Supply Availability
Clark reported that the availability of medicines and medical supplies has improved considerably, with institutions like IMSS (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social) and ISSSTE (Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado) nearing 100% coverage.
“We are much better than a few months ago; today, IMSS has 97% supply coverage, ISSSTE is at similar levels, and IMSS-Bienestar reaches 92%, with 96% in oncology medications. However, the remaining 3% is due to supplier non-compliance,” Clark stated during a federal executive press conference.
Companies with Significant Delinquency
Among the companies with substantial outstanding amounts, Bioxintegral Servicios leads with a 100% delinquency rate. Productos Farmacéuticos follows with 88.6%, Serral with 83.7%, and Puerta del Sol Capital, which has the largest delinquency in volume with 14.1 million pieces not delivered out of a committed 21.3 million.
- Abastecedora Higiénica de Sonora: Failed to deliver 2.4 million pieces.
- Labco Soluciones Médicas: Left nearly 4 million units unfulfilled.
- Grupo Médico Castro Díaz: Owed 2.2 million pieces.
In the category of specialized medications, Gelpharma failed to deliver 66.8% of its commitments, totaling over 108,000 pieces.
Call for Supplier Accountability
Clark emphasized the importance of supplier compliance, stating, “We cannot reach 100% supply coverage if the providers who have formally committed to the Mexican government do not fulfill their obligations. We urge them to take their contracts seriously and ensure that patients across the country receive proper care.”
IMSS-Bienestar’s Medication Distribution Initiative
Alejandro Svarch, the General Director of IMSS-Bienestar, announced a program to distribute 147 essential medications across 8,061 health centers and 578 hospitals in 23 states where IMSS-Bienestar operates.
In the first distribution in August, over 28 million medications were delivered through 11,364 packages across the nation.
The second phase, initiated on September 22nd and concluding on September 26th, will supply 8,342 health centers with 9,632 pre-assembled kits, repeating the process every penultimate week of each month.
“The greatest equity we can aspire to as Mexicans is that for the same illness, all people receive the same treatment and that it be the best,” affirmed Svarch.
Key Questions and Answers
- Who is Eduardo Clark? Eduardo Clark is the Subsecretary of Integration and Development of the Health Sector in Mexico, responsible for overseeing improvements in medicine and medical supply availability.
- What is the current status of medicine and medical supply availability? While significant progress has been made, with institutions like IMSS and ISSSTE nearing 100% coverage, there are still challenges due to non-compliant suppliers.
- Which companies have substantial delinquency in delivering medicines and medical supplies? Bioxintegral Servicios, Productos Farmacéuticos, Serral, Puerta del Sol Capital, Abastecedora Higiénica de Sonora, Labco Soluciones Médicas, and Grupo Médico Castro Díaz are among the companies with significant outstanding amounts.
- What is IMSS-Bienestar’s medication distribution initiative? IMSS-Bienestar is distributing 147 essential medications across health centers and hospitals in 23 states, with over 28 million medications already delivered in the first phase.
