Megapharmacy removed medicines from IMSS and ISSSTE for shelves

MEXICO CITY.- The federal government took medications of the ISSSTE, the IMSS and the IMSS-Wellbeing for store them in the Megapharmacysince Biological and Reagent Laboratories of Mexico (Birmex), in charge of operating it, did not make any special or extra purchases of drugs to cover the shortage which gave rise to the winery project located in Huehuetoca, State of Mexico.

Through a request for information, Birmex was asked what the amount invested to buy medicineshow many contracts were signed for that purpose and what country said drugs came from.

“The existing keys in the Federal Center for Storage and Distribution of Health Supplies (Cefedis) are property of the federal health institutes as a result of consolidated purchases for the 2023 financial year,” the state company responded through Ramón Gómez Gaytán, director of Administration and Finance of Birmex.

Birmex response contradicts the Secretary of Health

The Birmex’s response contradicts the Secretary of Health, Jorge Alcocer Varelawho on December 29, 2023, the day the winery was inaugurated, stated that by 2024 more than 4 thousand pieces were purchased expressly for the Megapharmacy.

“Due to the purchase at the end of this year, 4 thousand, sorry, next year, 4 thousand 187 million pieces were acquired, it is to know the number of these pieces that need to be progressively incorporated into the Megapharmacy. 219 billion pesos were invested”, assured the federal official. Birmex also noted: “The purchase of medicines has not been in charge of the Biological and Reactive Laboratories of Mexico, SA de CV”despite the fact that the general director of the IMSS, Zoé Robledo Aburto, stated that same day that he was designated as responsible for the consolidated purchase of medicines.

“We already have the legal consolidation of Birmex through an instruction agreement issued by the President of the Republic, on December 22 of this year. [2023], in the Official Gazette of the Federation, in its evening edition, where it already allows Birmex to lead matters related to the distribution of health supplies, which is the entire supply chain, the compensation system that will exist between institutions, as well as the consolidated purchases that may materialize from this moment on,” he said. No transportation to move medications.

Megapharmacy has no way to mobilize medications

Regarding the distribution of inputs, The Megapharmacy has no way to mobilize medications and deliver them to the country’s medical units that require it, in the event of a possible shortage, since it does not have any air or land transportation unit to distribute them.

Despite the fact that the general director of Birmex, Jens Pedro Lohmman Iturburu, boasted that “the location allows this megapharmacy to satisfy by land the demand of 70% of the population of the Mexican State in a period of no more than 48 hours.

“Due to its location, the property is starting from the Querétaro highway, you pass the Tepoztlán booth, 14 kilometers from it is the deviation to Tula, Jorobas, and five kilometers from this deviation is the property; We are 30 kilometers from the North Arch and 5,200 meters from the property, from entering the Mexiquense Exterior Circuit; Also, from the Circuito Exterior Mexiquense, we are 30 minutes from the Felipe Ángeles International Airport,” said Lohmman on the day of the inauguration.

In the same way, on January 19, 2024, Robledo Aburto reaffirmed what he said on December 29 of last year (2023) and assured that Birmex would be in charge of distributing the drugs throughout the country, to the federal health institutes.

“(Birmex) also distributes, and this is very important, since distribution in the hands of a government agency, of the Mexican State, will guarantee us distribution and even up to the last mile, that is, up to the last unit.” rural medical, in some remote place, because Birmex is going to be there. “This has already happened since October of last year, when Birmex has become the only distributor in the public sector, both in the IMSS, in the ISSSTE and, now, also in the IMSS-Bienestar,” he said.

However, when requesting information from Birmex Regarding the number of air and land transport units that Cefedis has to distribute the medicines it stores in the country, and detail which department they belong to, in case there is an agreement to help it distribute them, its Administration and Finance Directorate responded: “It doesn’t have any.”

And without trucks or planes, the Megapharmacy has no way to fulfill the promise of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who said on December 29, 2023: “In three hours the investigation will be done, let’s say, inside the same health sector, but the conclusion has already been reached that the medicine is not there, so following three hours the medicine leaves here (Huehuetoca) by land or to the Felipe Ángeles Airport so that it can arrive by plane where the medicine is needed.” The figure is 219 billion pesos investment in the Megapharmacy with which the supply of medicines would be guaranteed.

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