Brazil Health Ministry's Drug Distribution Plans Criticised

Health sector leaders in Brazil have criticised the government's plans to further centralise state drug provision in the hands of the federal Health Ministry.

At present, responsibility for purchasing and distributing "essential" drugs is shared by the country's federal authorities, the states and municipal government. Products currently deemed essential range from hypertension medicines to diabetes treatments, and even include therapies for tobacco addiction. Under new proposals, states could be left with the authority only to provide antibiotics, while the country's 5,600 municipalities would distribute basic medicines such as analgesics.

Much of the criticism stems from the fact that such a system for public sector health provision is likely to be unwieldy, as central government is expected to lack the capacity to supply the drugs efficiently. Furthermore, the local multinational sector is unlikely to welcome the prospect of the federal government further increasing its purchasing power, at a time when senior health officials have publicly pledged to break patents on ethical drugs.