The Essential Drugs Program/Logistics Support Center (Promese/Cal) has announced price cuts of up to 40% on 98 medicines, and 33 new drugs have been added.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Tuesday 12 May 2015, Promese/Cal Director Elena Fernandez Nunez said they have introduced a bar code system on all of the pharmaceuticals sold at the government program’s 502 pharmacies, known as the People’s Pharmacies.
At the same time she announced that they would be offering free Wi-Fi at some of the pharmacies, to help several poor communities throughout the country. Solar power panels will be installed in ten pharmacies. A two-year training program for more than 100 interns to be pharmacists was also announced.
Fernandez Nunez highlighted that the state has saved 63% in centralized drug purchases via Promese/Cal as well as being able to provide the appropriate medicine via the Parkinson Medicine Program (Promepark).
She said that in the last three years the program has stocked 352 medicines, up by 28.5% from 274 in the past. Pharmaceuticals cover the most common conditions of diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis and infections.
Fernandez Nunez added that access to low-cost medicines was important as 50% of the users of the People’s Pharmacies had an income less than RD$5,073 a month.
http://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2015/5/12/366849/PromeseCal-anuncia-rebaja-en-los-precios-de-98-medicamentos