The expenditure that the affiliates of the Payroll Deduction Regime of the Family Health Insurance (SFS) have to make to buy medications is very high. This is due to the fact that they cannot acquire the pharmaceuticals that are covered in the catalogue of the Basic Health Plan (PBS) because the pharmaceutical distribution houses have discontinued most of the products on the list. This situation was reported yesterday, Tuesday 27 August by the head of the National Directorate of Information and Defense of the Affiliates (Dida), Nelsida Marmolejos, who said that of every two medications that the affiliate goes to purchase in the pharmacies with the carnet, one or sometimes even both are rejected.
She said that a sample is the latest 1,543 letters of non-coverage that she has to sign so that these affiliates can have access to the medicines that are provided by the Ministry of Public Health and other institutions. Marmolejos asked the National Social Security Council (CNSS) to modify the catalogue of medicines that the PBS presents for the Family Health Insurance, because it is out of date. She reported that of 2,777 consultations regarding coverage of medicines carried out during the period January-June of this year, only 777 were in the catalogue. In 2012, of 3,018 requests for medicines, 2,021 were not listed in the catalogue.