The General Directorate of Public Procurement (DGCP) ordered the suspension of the public act carried out by the Social Security Fund (CSS) for the provision of the hemodialysis service and the construction of six care units, for $180 million.
The DGCP made the decision, after admitting a claim action presented by the Medical Promotion company (Promed, SA), one of those that participates in the public act.
Among its arguments –consigned on the Panamá Compra portal–, Promed says it has issued a total of five documents of consultations, clarifications and modifications related to the tender, but did not receive any response.
“These points being mostly important details to put together a proposal that, we reiterate, meets the demands of the entity, but above all complies with the public function and satisfies the need for services and care for the insured,” he says. Promed’s note.
One of the main concerns that the company conveys to the CSS is the existence of “two types of risk” in a single tender (hemodialysis service and construction of care units), which, according to its criteria, “makes it more expensive” and delays the project.
It was expected that the presentation of proposals for this public act would be tomorrow, March 25, but this will not be the case due to the suspension and at the moment a new date has not been defined to resume the public act.
For Alexander Pineda, president of the National Association of Patients with Renal Insufficiency, this public act is “necessary” given the demand for care. In fact, each month they report 50 new insured with kidney problems, which is equivalent to 600 per year.
For now, the CSS has 18 hemodialysis units which, added to the 6 new ones it intends to build, will total 270 hemodialysis machines, with a capacity to serve at least 3,000 patients.
Pineda agreed that it is a very ambitious tender, including services and construction. “We are concerned that this tender will be annulled. Although it was suspended, the CSS must make the necessary clarifications to the companies so that the best offers are presented and also that the voice of the patients is heard,” she said.
After the postponement of the tender, the director of the CSS, Enrique Lau Cortés, stressed that they are “adapting the rules of the game” to upload them to Panamá Compra and resume the public act.
