Honduras to Change Medicine Purchases

The country is to implement a so-called "reverse auctions" and price catalogs, with which they intend to save $12 million a year.

Monday, March 12, 2012

The authorities want to replicate a method practiced in Colombia which has enabled "extraordinary" savings, lowering prices by up to 40%, said the Honduran Minister of Health, Arturo Bendaña.

The ministry has budgeted to spend $31.49 million (600 million lempiras) on drugs in 2012, and using reverse auctions and catalogs, expects to save at least $12 million, reports Tiempo.hn.

Regarding the reverse auctions -an invitation is sent to suppliers detailing the best price from the previous year-, the minister Bendaña explained: "I’ll give you an example, if we buy aspirins at 10 lempiras per packet, we create a tender for providers indicating 10 lempiras as the maximum price and ask that they offer at that price or less in order to get a better offer."

The other measure is to send lists of prices and suppliers to the health centers and hospitals so that they can be guided by the best deals resulting in less differences.

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