In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Farmácia Popular program , starting today (10), the Ministry of Health will offer 95% of medicines and supplies free of charge to the entire population. With this, medicines indicated for the treatment of high cholesterol, Parkinson’s disease, glaucoma and rhinitis can be taken free of charge by the population across the country. The expectation is that around 3 million people who already use the program will be impacted and, on average, this can generate savings for users of up to R$400 per year.

The program offers 41 items, including medicines, diapers and pads and, until the implementation of this measure, only medicines indicated for people with diabetes, hypertension, asthma, osteoporosis and contraceptives were free. For others, the Ministry of Health paid up to 90% of the reference value of the medicines and the citizen paid the remainder, according to the price charged by the pharmacy. With this update, 95% of medicines and supplies can be collected free of charge, which is equivalent to 39 of the 41 health items distributed, expanding access to health for vulnerable populations throughout Brazil.

The Farmácia Popular program was created by the Federal Government in 2004, to make medicines and other health supplies available to the population. It was relaunched by President Lula last year, with the inclusion of new free services, which included medicines for osteoporosis and contraceptives and, in 2024, the distribution of sanitary pads to people in vulnerable situations and students in the public school system.

Six months after the relaunch of the program, in June 2023, this extension of benefits resulted in the initiative achieving the best result in the last four years, with access for 22 million Brazilians, who could receive treatment at lower or non-existent costs. This means an increase of 8.8% compared to 2022, with the recovery of around two million people who had not been served in previous years.

Furthermore, with the resumption, 55 million Brazilians who are beneficiaries of Bolsa Família now have access to all medicines available for free. Since June last year, 4.6 million beneficiaries have been covered, which means more free medicines for people who cannot afford the costs.

Today, the initiative is present in 85% of Brazilian cities, which is equivalent to 4,700 municipalities, has more than 31,000 accredited establishments across the country and has the capacity to serve 96% of the Brazilian population. Since June last year, 560,400 women have accessed free medication for contraception and osteoporosis.

In 20 years, more than 70 million Brazilian citizens have benefited. But advances continue: the Ministry of Health’s expectation is to universalize the program, covering 93% of the national territory. 536 new pharmacies have already been accredited in 380 new reference municipalities for the Mais Médicos Program, with 352 cities in the North and Northeast receiving the first registered unit. To achieve the goal, the accreditation of new pharmacies and drugstores was opened in 811 cities in all regions of the country, with priority given to municipalities that participate in Mais Médicos – a strategy that aims to reduce healthcare gaps.

Source: Agência Gov