scholarly journals Availability, prices, and affordability of selected essential cancer medicines in a middle-income country – the case of Mexico

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Moye-Holz ◽  
Margaret Ewen ◽  
Anahi Dreser ◽  
Sergio Bautista-Arredondo ◽  
Rene Soria-Saucedo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: More alternatives have become available for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in low- and middle-income countries. Because of increasing demands, governments are now facing a problem of limited affordability and availability of essential cancer medicines. Yet, precise information about the access to these medicines is limited, and the methodology is not very well developed. Objective: To assess the availability and affordability of essential cancer medicines in Mexico, and compare their prices against those in other countries of the region. Methods: We surveyed 21 public hospitals and 19 private pharmacies in 8 states of Mexico. Data were collected on the availability and prices of 49 essential cancer medicines. Prices were compared against those in Chile, Peru, Brazil, Colombia and PAHO’s Strategic Fund. Results: Of the various medicines, mean availability in public and private sector outlets was 61.2% and 67.5%, respectively. In the public sector, medicines covered by the public health insurance “People’s Health Insurance” were more available. Only seven (public sector) and five (private sector) out of the 49 medicines were considered affordable. Public sector procurement prices were 41% lower than in other countries of the region. Conclusions: The availability of essential cancer medicines, in the public and private sector, falls below World Health Organization’s 80% target. The affordability remains suboptimal as well. A national health insurance scheme could serve as a mechanism to improve access to cancer medicines in the public sector. Comprehensive pricing policies are warranted to improve the affordability of cancer medicines in the private sector.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Moye-Holz ◽  
Margaret Ewen ◽  
Anahi Dreser ◽  
Sergio Bautista-Arredondo ◽  
Rene Soria-Saucedo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: More alternatives have become available for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in low- and middle-income countries. Because of increasing demands, governments are now facing a problem of limited affordability and availability of essential cancer medicines. Yet, precise information about the access to these medicines is limited, and the methodology is not very well developed. Objective: To assess the availability and affordability of essential cancer medicines in Mexico, and compare their prices against those in other countries of the region. Methods: We surveyed 21 public hospitals and 19 private pharmacies in 8 states of Mexico. Data were collected on the availability and prices of 49 essential cancer medicines. Prices were compared against those in Chile, Peru, Brazil, Colombia and PAHO’s Strategic Fund. Results: Of the various medicines, mean availability in public and private sector outlets was 61.2% and 67.5%, respectively. In the public sector, medicines covered by the public health insurance “People’s Health Insurance” were more available. Only seven (public sector) and five (private sector) out of the 49 medicines were considered affordable. Public sector procurement prices were 41% lower than in other countries of the region. Conclusions: The availability of essential cancer medicines, in the public and private sector, falls below World Health Organization’s 80% target. The affordability remains suboptimal as well. A national health insurance scheme could serve as a mechanism to improve access to cancer medicines in the public sector. Comprehensive pricing policies are warranted to improve the affordability of cancer medicines in the private sector.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. 220s-220s
Author(s):  
D. Moye Holz ◽  
M. Ewen ◽  
A. Dreser ◽  
S. Bautista ◽  
R. Soria ◽  
...  

Background: More alternatives are becoming available for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in low- and middle-income countries. Yet, because of increasing demands, many governments are now facing the dilemma of making essential cancer medicines available to all while keeping them affordable. Precise information about current access to these medicines is limited, and there's no systematic methodology in place to do so. Aim: To assess the availability and affordability of essential cancer medicines in Mexico, and compare their prices (public sector procurement and patient prices) against those in other countries of the region. Methods: We adapted the WHO/HAI methodology. We surveyed 21 public hospitals and 19 private pharmacies in 8 states of Mexico. Data were collected on the availability and prices of 49 essential cancer medicines (each strength and dose-form specific). Prices were compared against those in Chile, Peru, Brazil, Colombia and PAHO's Strategic Fund. Results: Of the various medicines, mean availability in public and private sector outlets was 61.2% and 67.5%, respectively. In the public sector, medicines covered by the public health insurance “People's Health Insurance” (SPS) were slightly more available. Only 7 (public sector) and 5 (private sector) out of 49 medicines were deemed affordable. Overall, public sector procurement prices were 41% lower than in other countries of the region. Conclusion: The availability of essential cancer medicines, in the public and private sector, falls below WHO's 80% target. The affordability remains suboptimal as well. A national health insurance scheme could serve as a mechanism to improve access to cancer medicines in the public sector. Comprehensive pricing policies are warranted to improve the affordability of cancer medicines in the private sector.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Moumita Acharyya ◽  
Tanuja Agarwala

PurposeThe paper aims to understand the different motivations / reasons for engaging in CSR initiatives by the organizations. In addition, the study also examines the relationship between CSR motivations and corporate social performance (CSP).Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from two power sector organizations: one was a private sector firm and the other was a public sector firm. A comparative analysis of the variables with respect to private and public sector organizations was conducted. A questionnaire survey was administered among 370 employees working in the power sector, with 199 executives from public sector and 171 from private sector.Findings“Philanthropic” motivation emerged as the most dominant CSR motivation among both the public and private sector firms. The private sector firm was found to be significantly higher with respect to “philanthropic”, “enlightened self-interest” and “normative” CSR motivations when compared with the public sector firms. Findings suggest that public and private sector firms differed significantly on four CSR motivations, namely, “philanthropic”, “enlightened self-interest”, “normative” and “coercive”. The CSP score was significantly different among the two power sector firms of public and private sectors. The private sector firm had a higher CSP level than the public sector undertaking.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies in the domain need to address differences in CSR motivations and CSP across other sectors to understand the role of industry characteristics in influencing social development targets of organizations. Research also needs to focus on demonstrating the relationship between CSP and financial performance of the firms. Further, the HR outcomes of CSR initiatives and measurement of CSP indicators, such as attracting and retaining talent, employee commitment and organizational climate factors, need to be assessed.Originality/valueThe social issues are now directly linked with the business model to ensure consistency and community development. The results reveal a need for “enlightened self-interest” which is the second dominant CSR motivation among the organizations. The study makes a novel contribution by determining that competitive and coercive motivations are not functional as part of organizational CSR strategy. CSR can never be forced as the very idea is to do social good. Eventually, the CSR approach demands a commitment from within. The organizations need to emphasize more voluntary engagement of employees and go beyond statutory requirements for realizing the true CSR benefits.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 371-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean D. Darling ◽  
J. Barton Cunningham

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify unique values and competencies linked to private and public sector environments. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on critical incident interviews with a sample of senior leaders who had experience in both the public and private sectors. Findings The findings illustrate distinct public and private sector relevant competencies that reflect the unique values of their organizations and the character of the organization’s environments. This paper suggests a range of distinct public sector competencies including: managing competing interests, managing the political environment, communicating in a political environment, interpersonal motivational skills, adding value for clients, and impact assessment in decision-making. These were very different than those identified as critical for the private sector environment: business acumen, visionary leadership, marketing communication, market acumen, interpersonal communication, client service, and timely and opportunistic decision-making. Private sector competencies reflect private sector environments where goals need to be specifically defined and implemented in a timely manner related to making a profit and surviving in a competitive environment. Public sector competencies are driven by environments exhibiting more complex and unresolvable problems and the need to respond to conflicting publics and serving the public good while surviving in a political environment. Originality/value A key message of this study is that competency frameworks need to be connected to the organization’s unique environments and the values that managers are seeking to achieve. This is particularly important for public organizations that have more complex and changing environments.


Author(s):  
Andreas Wörgötter ◽  
Sihle Nomdebevana

AbstractThis paper investigates the public-private remuneration patterns in South Africa with time-series methods for the first time since the introduction of an inflation-targeting framework in 2000. Co-integration tests and analysis confirm that there is a stable, long-run relationship between nominal and real remuneration in the public and private sector. The adjustment to the deviations from this long-run relationship is strong and significant for public-sector remuneration, while private-sector wages neither respond to deviations from the long-run relationship nor lagged changes in public-sector remuneration. The causal direction from private- to public-sector remuneration does not change if real earnings are calculated with the gross domestic product deflator. This is confirmed by simple Granger-causality tests.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257424
Author(s):  
Shalini Sri Ranganathan ◽  
Chandanie Wanigatunge ◽  
G. P. S. G. Senadheera ◽  
B. V. S. H. Beneragama

Introduction Optimizing the use of antibacterial medicines is an accepted strategy to combat the antibacterial resistance. Availability of reliable antibacterial consumption (ABC) data is a prerequisite to implement this strategy. Objectives To quantify and describe the national ABC in Sri Lanka and to examine any differences in the consumption between public and private sector. Methods The methodology for this survey was adapted from World Health Organization (WHO) methodology for a global programme on surveillance of antimicrobial consumption. Aggregate data on national consumption of systemic antibacterials (J01- Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification (ATC) for 2017 were retrospectively extracted from all available data sources and classified using ATC classification. Quantity of consumption was converted to Defined Daily Doses (DDDs). Data are presented as total consumption and comparison between the public and private sector. Selected key quality indicators of ABC were compared between these two sectors. Findings From the available data sources, the total ABC in 2017 was 343.46 million DDDs. Private sector consumption accounted for 246.76 million DDDs compared to 97.96 million DDDs distributed to entire public sector by the Ministry of Health. Beta-lactam-penicillins antibacterial group accounted for 58.79% in public sector compared to 27.48% in private sector while macrolides, quinolones and other beta-lactam antibacterials accounted for 60.51% in the private compared to 28.41% in public sector. Consumption of Reserve group antibacterials was negligible, and limited to private sector. Watch category antibacterials accounted for 46%, 24% and 54% of the total, public and private sector consumption, respectively. Conclusions A disproportionately higher use of broad spectrum and Watch category antibacterials was observed in the private sector which needs further study. This national consumption survey highlights the need and provides the opening for establishment of ABC surveillance in Sri Lanka.


2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (29) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Sergio Armando Prado De Toledo

Abstract Currently, corruption has been so generalized and sophisticated that threatens to undermine the own society structure. Corruption is a problem identified in all the countries. What changes is how we deal with it. Nevertheless, why is there so much corruption? Within the group of factors, it is possible to highlight the high bureaucracy that reduces the efficiency of the public administration; the presence of a slow Judiciary Branch which is very low is terms of efficiency, when reprimanding illicit practices that incite everything ending up in pizza (this sentence was literally translated from Portuguese, it does not exist in English, but it means that impunity prevails in Brazil.); the existence of a corporatist sense among the Administration industries in the public sector in relation to the private sector and so facilitating corruption. The penalty for corruption should be constrained to mechanisms that allow the system of criminal justice to carry out actions of arrest, prosecution, penalty and repair to the country. Combating corruption complies with the republican ideal for the reduction of costs in Brazil. Moralizing the public-private relations offers juridical security to the market. The fact that some countries, especially Brazil, are seriously combating against corruption brings hope, with an eye on a more rigid legislation and less bureaucratic as well, with the end of the corporatist sense and the equivalence of salaries between the public and private sector. We shall provide effective criminal, administrative and civil penalties of inhibiting nature for future action; we shall provide cooperation between the law applicator and the private companies; we shall prevent the conflict of interests; we shall forbid the existence of “black fund” at the companies and we shall encouraged the relief or reduction of taxes to expenses considered as bribery or other conducts related


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