Audit Exposes Mishandling of Medicines and Vaccines During Kirchner Era
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A newly released audit uncovers notable lapses in the management of medical supplies, including expired vaccines and inadequate medicine tracking, raising concerns about public health safety.
A scathing report by the General Syndicate of the nation (SIGEN) has brought to light serious irregularities in how the Ministry of Health managed medical resources during the Kirchner management. The audit points to a series of failures that could have jeopardized public health.
One of the most concerning revelations is a marked increase in the quantity of expired medications. The audit also found that approximately 70% of flu vaccines were already expired by the time they were distributed.
The audit also highlighted the absence of a formally approved operational plan by the National directorate of Medicines and Health Technology, which is part of the ANMAT. This lack of planning hindered the effective management of medicines and the setting of priorities.
Furthermore, the audit revealed failures to comply with the Mercosur Technical Regulation on Good Practices for Pharmaceutical Products. These failures affected the classification and control of high-risk substances like Ephedrine and fentanyl.
These findings are particularly alarming given ongoing judicial investigations, including the case of contaminated fentanyl produced by HLB Pharma, which has been linked to the deaths of 34 patients.
The combination of inadequate controls and a lack of traceability in the distribution of medicines undermines both health safety and public trust in the health system.
The lack of adequate controls and the absence of traceability in the distribution of medicines compromise health safety.
Sources
- General Syndicate of the Nation (SIGEN) Audit Report
- Judicial Investigation Records related to HLB Pharma
- FDA – Supply chain Security for Drug Products
- WHO – Substandard and falsified medical products
- NCBI – The global pandemic of falsified medicines: systematic review of published literature
