The government of President Daniel Noboa has received the first batch of medicines purchased through an electronic catalog, with an investment of USD 31.6 million. The Vice President and head of the Ministry of Public Health (MSP), María José Pinto, confirmed that the centralized procurement for 2026 was completed within the scheduled timeframe to ensure a sufficient supply of pharmaceuticals in health facilities across Ecuador.
More than 12.2 million units have arrived at MSP warehouses, where they are stored under strict safety and quality standards. Some items require cold chain management and are kept at the National Vaccine Bank in northern Quito.
This initial purchase includes 242 items intended for chronic diseases, cancer treatments, anti-inflammatory painkillers, sedatives, anesthetics, immunosuppressants, among others.
Stalin Andino, Vice Minister of Comprehensive Health Care, stated: “The National Government responded quickly and on time within the established work plan. We are in the first phase of centralization during the first half of the year. We will buy 654 medicines, of which 242 have already been acquired through electronic catalog,” he said.
Andino also noted that he regularly oversees each delivery with technical and administrative teams to ensure transparency and honesty. He announced that distribution to prioritized hospitals and health centers in provinces such as Guayas, Loja, Pichincha, and Azuay will begin next week.
The centralized procurement process for 2026 covers various procedures for medicines and strategic goods—these include Electronic Catalog purchases, Centralized Procurement, Reverse Electronic Auction, Minor Amounts Procurement, and Centralized Procurement for Strategic Goods—which are published on the ministry’s website.
María José Buenaventura, coordinator for Internal Management of Goods, Assets and Warehouses at MSP, explained that logistics planning began early to prepare for receiving and distributing medicines to decentralized operational entities (EODs). Over 200 people—including administrative staff, drivers, and pharmaceutical biochemists—are part of this response team. “We work to bring services closer to the population in coordination with technical and operational teams from the administrative direction,” she said.
Paola Tamayo from MSP’s Directorate for Supply of Medicines and Medical Devices emphasized their responsibility to verify compliance with all legal requirements: “We are the first safety filter in the supply chain; we evaluate packaging integrity as well as manufacturing and expiration dates,” she added.
The national government together with MSP aims to strengthen medicine supply processes so that every patient receives needed medications promptly.
