The high cost and shortage of medicines was the focus of a virtual meeting held between the Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre, and his counterpart from Colombia, Carolina Corcho Mejía.
The health chiefs of both countries exchanged experiences to improve the acquisition of medicinal supplies and products.
At the meeting, he highlighted the importance of addressing the issue and exchanging strategies for the benefit of the States and the population, who assured that they require medicines at affordable prices.
According to Sucre, with this exchange Panama can strengthen its drug procurement process and obtain reasonable prices for the State and the population.
The Director of the Social Security Fund, Enrique Lau Cortés, who also participated in the meeting, assured that it is a priority for Panama to face this issue, since President Laurentino Cortizo Cohen has elevated the situation to a matter of State and the meeting between both ministers is a great step to face this problem and share experiences.
For its part, the Colombian delegation emphasized harmonizing the regulatory standards on quality, import and prices of the countries in order to have a response that fits the countries of the Latin American region, a proposal that Minister Sucre highlighted would be an option for medicines more accessible and secure.
The Panamanian technical team mentioned that the possibility of setting up Colombian laboratories that produce their medicines on home soil would also benefit both countries, even more so when in Panama 60% of consumption is innovative medicines and the rest are generic, while in Colombia 80% of what the population consumes are generic.
This is the first meeting, so both technical teams will meet again in a few days to fine-tune the roadmap in order to specify a defined strategy for the benefit of both countries.
