The CNEP participates in a MINSAL workshop to support work on surgical packaging and greater efficiency in medication purchases.

To support the Ministry of Health’s (MINSAL) efforts in Packaging and Coordinated Purchases, Senior Economist José Luis Contreras from CNEP presented key findings from the ongoing study, “Efficiency in Purchasing Management and Inventory Handling in Hospitals.” These insights should enhance hospital processes related to packaging and purchasing.

Simultaneously, as MINSAL expands its Regional Resolution Centers (CRR) strategy across Chile’s hospital network—a move spurred by 20 recommendations from the National Commission for Evaluation and Productivity (CNEP) in 2022, resulting in a 58% increase in daily surgical procedures—José Luis Contreras participated in MINSAL’s inaugural workshop on “Packaging and Coordinated Purchases.” This initiative aims to improve coordination between clinical teams and financial personnel at healthcare facilities implementing the CRR strategy.

José Luis Contreras highlighted potential efficiency gains identified in the study, emphasizing, “With approximately 25% of the Central Government’s annual budget allocated to hospitals for pharmaceuticals and medical devices, implementing standardized resource and expense management practices could have a pivotal impact.”

Additionally, Luciano González, MINSAL’s CRR coordinator, emphasized during the workshop that “standardizing purchasing processes could significantly reduce overall surgical costs, potentially lowering per-surgery expenses by up to 30%. This efficiency could enable more Ambulatory Major Surgeries (CMA) to be financed within existing budgets.”

The workshop, attended by stakeholders from the 15 existing CRRs and medical/administrative deputy directors of Health Services (SS), underscored the role of CRRs in MINSAL’s strategy to reduce wait times through enhanced surgical team productivity and streamlined procurement procedures.