The Ministry of Health wants to expand the centralized purchase of drugs for cancer treatment. In an interview with Jota, the Secretary of Specialized Care, Adriano Massuda, stated that the measure is inspired by the strategy adopted in the HIV-Aids Program, which invested in the purchasing power of the State, associated with policies for productive development to guarantee treatments for patients.

Just as occurred in the HIV-Aids program, the idea is to expand the use of protocols and technical guidelines, in order to guarantee treatment for patients across the country. “We already have some oncology products where purchasing is done centrally. The idea is that we can expand the mechanism, but within the logic determined by the protocols”, he added.

Centralization of purchasing is an old demand from associations linked to cancer treatment. Although he admits that there are studies on the topic, the secretary says there is still no definition on the treatment that will be given to the budget allocated to oncology. Massuda stated that one of the priorities will be to ensure early diagnosis of cancer.

Source: Jota