Misiones to fund essential medicine purchases amid national program cuts

The government of Misiones, Argentina, will begin purchasing essential medicines locally to compensate for a reduction in supplies from the national Remediar program. Carlos Báez, the subsecretary of Support and Logistics for the Ministry of Public Health, stated that the province expects to spend between 1,000 million and 1,200 million pesos monthly on these purchases.

The decision follows notifications from the national government that shipments through the Remediar program would cease after August and September. The Remediar program, established to provide free essential medicines to the public health system, has seen a significant decline in resources; the budget for 2026 is projected to be 72% lower than in 2023, with the number of treatments delivered dropping from 37.1 million in 2022 to 14.1 million in 2025.

Misiones has compiled a list of necessary medications based on previous consumption volumes, including treatments for hypertension, diabetes, and respiratory infections, to ensure continuity of care at Primary Health Care Centers (CAPS).