The owner of CEPROFAR, Ruben Sajemdenounced that ““In no country in the world were medications increased without control like now in Argentina.” Between November and December, after the end of the price freeze between the previous government and the laboratoriesthe average increase was 90%, and in some “widely used medications”, the increases exceeded 100%.
“Medicines are the only thing that people prefer to buy, in addition to foodbut unfortunately in December the measurements indicate that two out of every ten people would not be able to access their treatments,” said Sajem and maintained that “there are many people, especially grandparents, who if they did not have family help, would have to abandon high-quality treatments. complexity”.
The report indicated that Drug sales fell 19% in the last monthand the prospect is that they will fall even further during January.
Concern over escalating drug prices
From CEPROFAR showed concern about the escalation in drug prices, and “the possibility that the free delivery of medications through PAMI will be affected,” which has a list of remedies that it delivers at no cost to its members, known as Vademecum that contains more than 3,500 commercial brands.
Weeks ago, in a statement, IOMA (the social work of the state agencies of the Province of Buenos Aires) reported that “the professional and technical teams of the social work are working to reach agreements with the laboratories and establish prices in accordance with reality. and critical situation that the country is going through”.
Interannual inflation in medicines is around 300%
“People complain, every month they carry the same thing and between November and December the same products increased by 70”said Luján, a pharmacist who works in a store in Belgrano, when consulted by C5N.
He also assures that 2024 has already begun with 20% increases on different products. For example, the painkiller most consumed by Argentines is 80% more expensive than the previous week and the same occurs with antibiotics, which have a 138% increase.
Increase in prepaid
As a result of Javier Milei’s Decree of Necessity and Urgency (DNU), there were increases in prepaid payments. An example is that of the owner of Swiss Medical Group, Claudio Belocopitt, confirmed that prepaid will increase “between 40 and 50%” in the monthly fee.
According to the Argentine Health Union (UAS), which brings together the majority of private medicine companies, 5% of users would opt out of direct (non-corporate) plans, therefore, prepaid companies are analyzing launching “lowcost” plans “and they expect a sharp drop in members in March.
Source: Ambito
