PHP17 Mexico'S National and Institutional Essential Medicine Lists

Abstract

Essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority health care needs of the population. They are selected with due regard to public health relevance, evidence on efficacy and safety, and comparative cost-effectiveness. To be selected, medicines must be available through health systems, in suitable amounts and dosage forms. The Essential Medicines List can help countries rationalize the purchasing and distribution of medicines, thereby reducing costs to the health system. Most countries have national lists and some have provincial, state or institutional lists as well. Mexican Health System has 2 main institutions who provide healthcare services to population: IMSS and ISSSTE; each of them have an institutional list and also there is a National essential medicine list. To compare the National essential medicine list with the institutional lists of IMSS and ISSSTE. The National essential medicine list (2009 version) and the latest web versions available for the essential list of each institution where analyzed to compare by product key and by generic name for each of the 23 therapeutic groups excluding the groups referring to vaccines, nutrimental components and electrolytic solutions. There were a wide difference between the national essential list and the institutional list especially in the group for treating endocrinology, oncology and infectius conditions. Also there were big differences for more than 50% of the therapeutic groups examined between the institutions. There remains, significant opportunity for improvement of the national and institutional essential medicines list because don′t seem to be uniform criteria to selection.