Guatemala’s Congressional Public Health Commission has issued a favorable committee report with modifications to Bill 6604, aiming to authorize the State’s Medicine Accessibility Program (Proam) to execute direct international procurement agreements for pharmaceutical products with bodies like the WHO, PAHO, and UNOPS.
Expanding Proam Procurement Through International Bodies
The legislative push to lower drug costs in Guatemala centers on overhauling the Ley de Accesibilidad de Medicamentos. The modified initiative 6604 allows the Programa de Accesibilidad de Medicamentos (Proam), operating through the Ministry of Health, to directly acquire pharmaceutical products via international agreements.
Under the proposed framework, Proam could procure supplies directly from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Panamerican Health Organization (PAHO), United Nations system agencies, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). Additional eligible entities include the Council of Ministers of Health of Central America (Comisca), provided these purchases follow the State’s Contracting Law alongside other legally regulated international mechanisms.
In Plain English: The Clinical Takeaway
- Direct Global Procurement: The reform permits Proam to purchase medications straight through international bodies like the WHO and PAHO.
- Financing and Supply Chain Expansion: Bill 6604 proposes raising Proam’s funding to 0.5 percent of the total Ministry of Health budget while establishing community pharmacy networks and allowing direct agreements with municipal governments and cooperatives.
- Transparency and Traceability Mandates: The program would be legally required to publish reference prices on a public web platform twice a year and generate unique tracking codes per provider to ensure supply chain visibility.
Budget Increases and Community Pharmacy Networks
Beyond international purchasing channels, the committee report proposes a funding boost for Proam. The initiative establishes that funding should equal 0.5 percent of the total Ministry of Health budget, with allocations programmed at no less than 10 percent of the total annual sales value across all regulated pharmacy formats.
The legislative text also revises article 6 of the law to mandate a network of community pharmacies established by the Ministry of Health. This revision empowers Proam to execute agreements with health cooperatives, municipal councils, community councils, departmental development councils, non-governmental organizations, and private drugstores to expand national distribution channels whenever cost and quality benefit the public.
To monitor pricing and distribution, Proam must publish its reference prices on a web platform and through mass media at least twice a year.
Traceability Requirements and Independent Warehousing
Medicaments commercialized through the program must display specific packaging and identification marking them as Proam products. To enforce this, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Public Finance are tasked with generating a unique code for each provider, distributor, and pharmacy to guarantee drug traceability.
Additionally, the initiative authorizes Proam to establish its own drugstore. This facility would possess the legal authority to import, store, and distribute pharmaceutical products, granting the program direct leverage for national and international negotiations with pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Edgar González, the Vice Minister of Regulation, Surveillance, and Health Control, stated that he will analyze the committee’s report to issue an opinion.
