DILI, 22 January, 2019 (TATOLI) – Health officials cannot issue tenders to import new medications into Timor-Leste until parliament sorts out its budget crisis, according to the head of the ministry’s drug procurement team.
Parliament last week narrowly defeated the Taur Matan Ruak government’s second attempt to pass the 2020 budget through the National Parliament, leading to a schism in the governing coalition.
In lieu of the general state budget (OJE), ministries and government services are being funded under the duodecimal regime, which delivers 1/12th of the previous year’s budget allocations each month.
But SAMES (Servisu Autonomo Medikamentu Ekipamentu Saúde) Director Odete Maria Freitas said the smaller slices of funding means she cannot issue a major import tender.
“To open the tender with [a] smaller quantity means the price will be higher and the quantity of medication smaller… [but] through a bigger, competitive [tender] we can decrease the cost and find the better qualifying company to provide the drugs,” she said
Each year SAMES spends around $3 million to buy a year’s supply of drugs, she said, but under duodecimal, the department will receive $422,000 for the month of January — and that must cover other operating costs, as well.
But Ms Freitas said under duodecimal in the first months of 2019, the funding arrangement was more ideal.
“[Last year] although the budget was duodecimal, they allocated the total budget for medication… if possible, the budget for medication should be 50 per cent [of annual allocations],” she said.
Supplies of hepatitis drugs among those running out
Odete Freitas said around 14 per cent of the necessary supplies are currently out-of-stock. But unless parliament passes the 2020 budget, then she estimates 23 per cent of the supplies will be empty within three months, and 30 per cent within half a year.
Some items out-of-stock are essential, she said, such as Albumin (and IV drip) and hepatitis treatments.
“The Duodecimal budget really [has] an impact because we only buy [enough] drugs for one year… [and] we only have a buffer for vaccine. We don’t [have] the reservation for the drugs,” she said.
She added SAMES has already distributed the most basic drugs across the country.
“Amoxilin, cough syrup… maybe [in] one or two months coming we will be out of stock for very basic items of medication,” she said.
Duodesimal Budget “enough” for National Hospital
Under the new month-by-month budget, the National Hospital of Guido Valadares (HNGV) in Dili will receive US $822,000 for the month of January, according to Director-General Duarte Marçal de Araújo.
“For this budget… it is enough because the important thing is drugs or foods for the patient in HNGV,” he said.
With supply problems with SAMES, the hospital has made arrangements to access medications it needs, he said.
“We see the list of drugs [that] SAMES has unavailable, [and] we request the Bethesda Pharmacy to import the drugs, so I think there is no problem with the drugs,” he said.
The new funding regime will cover salaries, and goods and services, Mr Araújo said. However it means HNGV’s plan to construct new hospital [ward?], bathroom facilities, and rooms for pharmacy will now be put on hold.
“But for February and beyond, if the total of budget allocation for HNGV remains the same, I think the budget is enough for HNGV and it will not affect any [other] activities,” said.
Read the original reports in Tetum here: SAMES Receives Duodesimal Budget For January of $400,000 and here: HNGV to Receive $822k under Duodecimal Budget
Journalist: Felicidade Ximenes
Editors: Robert Baird; Rafy Belo
Translation: Nelia Borges
