Medicine prices across the country will be adjusted by up to 4.5% starting this Sunday (31). This percentage was defined by the Medicines Market Regulation Chamber and published in the Official Federal Gazette (DOU) this Thursday (28). With that in mind, how can getting free medicine from the Unified Health System (SUS) be a solution?
Federal Government Program
Farmácia Popular do Brasil (PFPB) is a Federal Government program that aims to complement the availability of medicines used in Primary Health Care, the first level of care in the SUS.
The program works through partnerships with private pharmacies and drugstores. With this, citizens can obtain medicines and other items for free or at a reduced price in these establishments, in addition to Basic Health Units and municipal pharmacies.
After all, how to get the medicines?
1st – Consult the Medicine List of the State of Minas Gerais (REMEMG) to find out if the medicine you need is provided by the SUS and in which Pharmaceutical Assistance Component it is found.
a) Important to know! Medicines are divided into 3 groups, called components. Each group has different rules and, therefore, you need to know which group the medicine you want to obtain is in!
b) REMEMG is a list of all medicines supplied by the state of Minas Gerais, which also contains other information about them, such as the disease for which the medicine is indicated and the component to which it belongs.
2nd- Then, access the link below according to the group/component to which the medicine belongs:
Basic medicines are those intended for Primary Health Care, that is, those obtained at health centers and municipal public pharmacies, and are intended for the treatment of conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and infections. , by the municipalities themselves with financial help from the state and the Ministry of Health.
Medicines mostly used to treat rare diseases, of low prevalence or chronic use, with a high unit cost. The diagnostic, treatment and monitoring criteria for diseases included in this group are defined in Clinical Protocols and Therapeutic Guidelines (PCDT) published by the Ministry of Health
The medicines distributed by the strategic component are those used to prevent, treat and control diseases that can significantly affect a certain region or vulnerable population, with epidemiological and socioeconomic impact. The group encompasses a set of medicines used to treat diseases included in specific programs of the Ministry of Health.
Minas Pharmacy
Farmácia de Minas – Belo Horizonte Health Regional (Avenida Nossa Senhora de Fátima, 2777, Carlos Prates) is the place responsible for receiving requests and dispensing medicines from the Specialized Component to users residing in the following municipalities:
Belo Horizonte, Belo Vale, Betim, Bonfim, Brumadinho, Confins, Contagem, Crucilândia, Esmeraldas, Florestal, Ibirité, Igarapé, Itabirito, Jaboticatubas, Juatuba, Lagoa Santa, Mariana, Mário Campos, Mateus Leme, Matozinhos, Nova Lima, Nova União , Ouro Preto, Pedro Leopoldo, Piedade dos Gerais, Raposos, Riberião das Neves, Rio Acima, Rio Manso, Sabará, Santa Luzia, Santana do Riacho, São José da Lapa, Taquaraçu de Minas and Vespasiano.
Service is provided from Monday to Friday (except at optional points and holidays), from 7am to 7pm, scheduled and organized by distribution of passwords.
Stock in Belo Horizonte
The medicines of Component Basic and Strategic can be accessed in pharmacies at Belo Horizonte Health Centers. It is important that citizens register with the health unit in their region.
Law 14,654, of August 23, 2023, establishes the mandatory biweekly disclosure of medication stocks in pharmacies that make up the SUS. With this, SMSA now makes the data available for consultation, in order to guarantee transparency for the user. It is important to highlight that the amount may vary depending on the care provided in the health units. check out here
Increase
Until March 2025, pharmacies and manufacturers cannot apply adjustments greater than this. This adjustment is made every year and takes inflation and other market factors into account.. Last year, the increase was even greater: 5.6%.
In the resolution, the council informs that producing companies must give “wide publicity” to the prices of their medicines.
*with information from CNN Brasil
