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Only 15 of Mexico's state health authorities have adhered to the
2018/19 edition of the consolidated medicines tender led by the
Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), according to local
media reports. This means a significant decline in participation
from the previous 2017/18 tender, when 22 of the country's 32
(including Mexico City) devolved administrations participated in
the exercise. According to various local sources, some states are
citing as the reason for not participating. The health secretary of
the state of Guanajuato, Daniel Alberto Díaz Martínez,
has for example highlighted that the tender system in Mexico
generates supply delays, with local health systems forced to
"double procure" some of the products. Guanajuato is among the
states that have decided not to participate in the consolidated
tender.
The reduced participation in the 2018/19 tender means that it
will likely involve a lower volume of drugs than did 2017/18's
record edition, which registered a 13% increase in funds and 20%
rise in the number of participating entities compared with that of
2016/17. Mexico has otherwise looked to tendering as a key tenet of
its healthcare priorities, with each tender successively increasing
in size (and complexity) until now. The concerns raised by some
states regarding supply issues generated by the tender are
difficult to verify, but there have been reports of local drug
shortages in a number of states.
It is likely that the devolved administrations will experience
increased pressure to adhere to consolidated drug procurement
exercises following the impending government transition. Mexico's
incoming president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO),
has mentioned consolidating procurement as one of the key ways in
which he intends to improve the financial efficiency of the Mexican
healthcare system. Besides cost savings, centralised procurement
can also increase transparency and reduce the potential for funds
misuse and corruption, key themes of AMLO's policy agenda.
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