Alongside entities that represent municipal and state health departments across the country, Ipea seeks to update what is known about public expenditure on medicines
Investigating the expenditure of the Union, states and municipalities on medicines, in order to draw up a diagnosis of problems related to the financing of pharmaceutical assistance, is the objective of the research “Pharmaceutical Assistance in the SUS”, launched this Monday (06/05 ) by the Institute of Applied Economic Research (Ipea) in partnership with the National Council of Municipal Health Secretaries (Conasems) and the National Council of Health Secretaries (Conass). This survey will provide subsidies for improving public policies, aiming to improve the efficiency of these expenses and, consequently, the quality of life of millions of Brazilians who depend on this service.
The challenges behind this initiative are not restricted to the complexity inherent in mapping resources, from budget planning to actual spending at the end, in meeting demand. The scope of the study involves the multiplicity of geographical aspects of a continental country and also different dimensions of public management. Pharmaceutical assistance coordinators or other key informants indicated by the health manager of all subnational entities will be invited to participate in the research: the 26 states, the Federal District and the 5,568 municipalities.
The proposal is based on the development of an electronic questionnaire by researchers from Ipea, Conasems and Conass, which will be answered spontaneously by informants appointed by health secretaries across the country. The answers will be sent through a system developed by Ipea for research in a virtual environment. The questionnaire will address requests for information related to the federation entity to which the data refers; questionnaire respondent; total expenditure on medicines; spent on medicines administered in health units and on medicines dispensed for use by people in their homes; spent on medicines due to legal demand; and legal demands for medicines.
Ipea’s action, together with partner institutions, seeks to analyze financing and spending on pharmaceutical assistance in the Unified Health System (SUS) and the impacts of legal demands on medication expenses in this system in the period from 2019 to 2023. By estimating the total SUS expenditure on medicines, including those acquired through judicial demand, the study also intends to contribute to the improvement of the methods applied to the production of health accounts in Brazil and to discuss the implications of the judicialization of health for the financing of SUS pharmaceutical assistance in the period analyzed.
SUS spending on medicines in 2016, considering the budget of the three spheres of government, was R$18.6 billion. The share of federal spending on medicines in spending on public health actions and services rose from 11% in 2010 to 16% in 2016. The data gives the financial dimension of the issue and demonstrates the importance of keeping them updated. The availability of reliable figures on expenditure on SUS medicines is essential for analyzing this financing model. This is a relevant issue for health managers across the country. Academic research with these professionals has highlighted insufficient financial resources as one of the main problems in the sector. This directly reflects on meeting the demands of the population.
The campaign will include coordination with supporters of the Conasems Network and the Technical Working Group for Pharmaceutical Assistance (GTTAF), as well as with state managers, through Conass, with the support of the Technical Chamber for Pharmaceutical Assistance (CTAF).
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Communication consultants from Ipea, Conasems and Conass
