Cruz Verde pharmacy and drugstore chain announced in the last few hours that starting next November 15 EPS Sanitas will not be able to continue to provide its members with medications, supplies and outpatient technologies that are not included in the Primary Health Plan (PBS).
The measure came about because EPS “accumulates a monthly portfolio of approximately 400 billion pesos for non-PBS drugs and supplies,” according to Cruz Verde.
In the statement, he added, “Since all the expenses of the payments made to the producer and importer laboratories could not be covered, there were blockages in the product supply by some laboratories.”
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The pharmacy chain also reported that negotiations with EPS for the payment of the portfolio have been going on for more than three years, but it was not possible to resolve the issue. He stated that the measure was forwarded to Sanitas.
According to Cruz Verde, the failure to cover all costs of payments to production laboratories and importers led to blockages in the product supply of some suppliers. As a result, Cruz Verde does not currently have stock available for distribution of some products.
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“Cruz Verde understands the social impact of this difficult decision, which was made after careful and responsible analysis, and therefore contacted the organization in question and is now establishing the pharmacy infrastructure and distribution center to support the transition process. The pharmacy is providing non-PBS products that laboratories do not currently supply.” said.
On Monday night, EPS Sanitas disagreed with what the pharmacy chain announced, stating that it rejected the decision “due to the impact it could have on our members” due to the imminence of the injunction date.
“Since we received a unilateral and sudden notification from Cruz Verde
We are looking for alternatives and activating contingency plans.
“EPS ensures that the distribution of non-PBS medicines is affected as little as possible,” he said.
He added: “Unfortunately, the Maximum Budget issue to which this decision relates is one of the reasons why we have been warning the government for months about the importance of finding a solution to the situation.
We have not received a response on this issue so far.
Finally, EPS stated that it “reserves” the execution of actions in defense of its users to guarantee access to medicines.
According to the statement made by Cruz Verde, The scope of this measure relates only to Sanitas EPS and Non-PBS only and is taken to ensure that distributions to clinics and other Cruz Verde customer organizations can continue to operate normally.
In this sense, it is necessary to clarify that non-PBS medicines and supplies are medicines and supplies that are not included in the plan that the Government defines as necessary to achieve the right to health of Colombians.
The PBS is constantly updated, but the drugs not included are technologies that are not primarily intended for health promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation or alleviation of disease.
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But, Doctors or healthcare professionals have the opportunity to order technologies that are not covered by PBS when they deem it necessary through a tool called Mipres.
This primarily affects patients with high-cost diseases, for which unavailable drugs or other technologies vital to treating diseases such as cancer are ordered, in many cases.
It also affects older patients, for example, for whom a doctor may order products such as adult diapers that are not listed on the PBS.
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So, among others, Some of the medications and supplies that are not part of PBS and that Cruz Verde will no longer deliver to Sanitas users include:
As EL TIEMPO found out, At least 33 thousand monthly EPS Sanitas users will be affected by this measure. These are mostly from the population group with high-cost diseases.
So chronic kidney disease; Cervical cancer; breast cancer; gastric cancer; colon and rectum cancer; prostate cancer; leukemia; as well as other pathologies that often require the prescription of non-PBS drugs or technologies.
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EL TIEMPO contacted EPS Sanitas but there was still no statement at the time of going to press.
EDWIN CAICEDO – ALBERTO MARIO SUÁREZ
Source: Exame
I am Bret Jackson, a professional journalist and author for Gadget Onus, where I specialize in writing about the gaming industry. With over 6 years of experience in my field, I have built up an extensive portfolio that ranges from reviews to interviews with top figures within the industry. My work has been featured on various news sites, providing readers with insightful analysis regarding the current state of gaming culture.
