Meeting at the Health Ministry of Mendoza Province

LIF’s and LEM’s members participated in a meeting with Health Ministry’s civil servants from Mendoza province. They progressed in reaching an agreement.

     LIF’s Directors: Carlos Arques, Diego Bruno and César Daniel Salomón had a meeting with Oscar Zagas, Health Sub Secretary.

     In this meeting also participated Cecilia Orueta, Pharmacy Director; Viviana Yuvel, Administration Director; Marité Miranda y Andrea Silva, Pharmacology Direction’s members; Cecilia Cejas, Planning Department Director and Marcelo Rujana, LEM’s Administration.

     They talked about an agreement of mutual collaboration and assistance in the production of medicines between Mendoza and Santa Fe.

     Mendoza’s Health Ministry had a project to produce medicines through a public laboratory (LAPROMED*). This laboratory might start working in 2017. LIF and LEM(+) could an important participation such as advisors.

     Finally, LIF and LEM members offered their medicine portfolio to provide in public healthcare centers of Mendoza.

(+)LEM: Laboratorio de Especialidades Medicinales de la Municipalidad de Rosario - Medicines Specialties Laboratory of Rosario’s Municipality.

*LAPROMED: public laboratory of medicines from Mendoza province.

New Administration Area’s opening ceremony

     Carlos Fascendini (Santa Fe’s Vice Governor) and Miguel González (Santa Fe’s Health Minister) participated at the open ceremony of the new building of LIF’s Administration Area.

     The meeting took place at the LIF’s headquarters where Eduardo Matozo (Santa Fe’s Science and Technology Minister); LIF’s Board of Directors: Carlos Arques, Guillermo Cleti, Diego Bruno and  Daniel Salomón; Roberto Ganin (LIF’s General Manager); Carlos Minatti (LIF’s Trustee) also attended.

     This first stage started in 2014 and it required $10 million (ARG). The building has 400 square meter and twenty two job positions.

     The second stage will start in October when LIF will request a new bidding to build the top floor sector where there will be more offices.

Budget of Santa Fe province and National Government.

     For this building LIF invested $10 million (ARG) of which $3 million were contributed by National Government through an agreement between LIF and National Institute of Cancer. Due to this, LIF researched, produced and delivered methadone and morphine tablets in different hospitals.

     Methadone and morphine are drugs for pain treatment in patients with active, progressive and advanced diseases.

LIF participated in the IV CLAMME

     LIF participated in the IV “Congreso Latinoamericano de Microbiologìa de Medicamentos y Cosméticos” (CLAMME). 

     It took place in Rosario.

Biochemist Lisandro Zili gave a lecture on Public Production of Medicines.

     First, Zili presented the idea that The State must act as guarantee to the access to health; second, he also claimed that citizens must be granted medicines as a social right; third he stated that Management must be transparent. Last, technological innovations and new challenges were also some topics explained by Zili.

     Finally, he finished the lecture speaking about quality control and microbiology techniques.

Lecture in Ramos Mejía

 

 

     On October 14th LIF’s Directors Carlos Arques and César Daniel Salomón attended to a meeting organized by the Directive Committee of the “Casa de Auxilio de Ramos Mejía”.

     Arques and Salomón give a lecture on Santa Fe´s Health Public System and present and future history of the public production of medicines.

Antonio Bonfatti, Chamber of Deputies’ President of Santa Fe, also participated and gave a lecture in the meeting.
     “Casa de Auxilio de Ramos Mejía” is a non governmental organisation (NGO) that does not receive any state and private subsidy. It works in collaboration with the neighbours and due to this they can invest in buildings and new equipments for healthcare.

Civil servants from Brazil visited LIF

     Civil servants from San Pablo, Brazil visited LIF. They are studying a master’s degree in Administration in the “Universidad Nacional de San Pablo, Brasil”.
     The meeting was organized by the Master’s Degree in Administration of the “Facultad de Ciencias Económicas - UNL”, as an exchange activity between both Schools.
     First, LIF’s Board of Directors welcomed the visitors.
     Then, José Berardo and Federico Lanche Bode, LIF’s staff members, gave a lecture about LIF’s planning model.
     Finally, the LIF’s facilities were shown to the foreign visitors.

Teachers of the “Escuela Técnica (Technical School) Nº 527 - Bicentenario de la Patria” visited LIF

Seven teachers from the “Escuela Técnica Nº 527 - Bicentenario de la Patria” visited LIF.

     The main objective for them was to know the place where their students make the practice in the last year prior to graduation.
     First, they watched the institutional video in the MUR and then visited the LIF’s facilities.
     Silvina Mugni, Leandro De Greef, Edgardo Ramírez, Facundo Arques and Melina Uriarte (LIF’s staff members) participated in this meeting.

LIF and LEM offered the best prices in the international tender of the National Health Ministry

It was in the international public tender N° 04/16 to buy essential medicines for Healthcare Primary.

     LIF and LEM* participated in the international public tender N° 04/16. This tender was organized by Nation’s Health Ministry to buy essential medicines for Healthcare Primary.
     The bid took place on August 18th, 2016, at National Health Ministry’s headquarters, in Buenos Aires city.
     LIF offered the best price for Metformin 500 mg (10.119.708 tablets).
     On the other hand, LEM offered the best prices for Betamethasone LEM 0,1% x 15 gr (347.189 tubes) and Miconazole LEM x 15 gr (408.372 tubes). Both in cream.
     National Health Ministry organized this tender through the Health Universal Coverage than it is a program to promote the Primary Healthcare.

Antecedents
     LIF and LEM are usual providers of medicines of the National Health Ministry through public tenders and direct purchases between both states.
     Since 2008, LIF has delivered more than 150.000.000 of tablets. Paracetamol, Amoxicillin, Cefalexin, Metformin, Glibenclamide and Enalapril were some of the LIF’s medicines produced.
     On the other hand, since 2009, LEM has delivered more than 2.700.000 tubes. Betametasone LEM 0,1% x 15 gr. and Miconazole LEM x 15 gr were the LEM´s medicines produced.

*LEM: Laboratorio de Especialidades Medicinales Sociedad del Estado de la Municipalidad de Rosario - Medicinal Specialties Laboratory, State Sociaity from Rosario Town Hall.

Lecture about public production of medicines at UBA

It took place on May 24th, at the UBA* Medicine School. LIF’s Director Carlos Arques participated.

     “Lecture about public production of medicines: health system demand and political boundary” was the name of this activity. It was organized by the “Colectivo Sanitario Andrés Carrasco” and “Red de Medicamentos Alames”.
     The meeting took place at the Council Room of the UBA* Medicine School.
     LIF’s Director Carlos Arques, gave a lecture named: “Evolutions of the production facilities - Needs for Investment and Legal Framework ”.

*UBA: Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires - National University of Buenos Aires.

LIF participated in the VII Jornadas de Modernización Estatal y Administración Gubernamental

It took place on June 16th, in Santa Fe city. LIF’s Director César Daniel Salomón gave a lecture.

     The lecture was organized by “the Consejo Profesional de Ciencias Económicas de la Provincia de Santa – Cámara I”, “the Colegio de Graduados de Ciencias Económicas” and the “Facultad de Ciencias Económicas de la Universidad Nacional del Litoral.”
     “Public management by outcomes at Open Government” was the main topic for this activity.
     “LIF, a management model guided to results" was the name of the lecture of Daniel Salomón.
     “LIF has many results to show about its experience as public company where its management and objectives have been guided to results. Today, after almost seventy years, LIF’s history and present helped it become an efficient tool to give answers to the health public system in Santa Fe province”, said Daniel Salomón.

LIF participated in the “Congreso Unificado de Cirugía”

The lecture took place in Santa Fe city. LIF participated with an institutional stand.

     The lecture was organized by the Associations of Surgery, Gastroenterology and Endoscopy of Santa Fe together with the Surgery Services of the Hospitals J. M. Cullen and J. B Iturraspe. It took place in the Convention Centre of the Estación Belgrano in Santa Fe city, on June 9th and 10th.
     During these days, physicians, nurses and technicians in surgical instrumentation attended this meeting. They received theoretical and practical training.
     LIF participated with an institutional stand where staff members gave information about public production of medicine.
     At the beginning of the lecture, Miguel González (Health Minister of Santa Fe province), Leonardo Martínez (Health Secretary of Santa Fe city), Juan Pablo Poletti (President of the Association of Surgery of Santa Fe) and Sergio Nahas (Hospital Sirio Libanes - San Pablo - Brasil) welcomed the attendees.

International referents visited LIF

International referents from Ecuador, México, Brasil, Colombia, Chile and España visited LIF.

     The International Relations Secretary of Santa Fe province, organized this activity in which different international referents visited LIF.
     Cecilia Chacon Castillo (“Viceprefecta del gobierno provincial de Tungurahua - Ecuador”), Amalia Garcia Medina (“Secretaria de Trabajo y Fomento del Empleo - México DF”); Darlene Testa (“Responsable de la Agenda Municipal de Trabajo Decente - San Pablo, Brasil”); Cristhian Ortega (“Consultor - Colombia”); Luis Riffo (ILPES CEPAL - Chile); Lina Gast (“Referente de Red Ciudades y Gobiernos Locales Unidos - Barcelona, España”) were received by Diego Bruno (LIF’s Director), Roberto Ganín (General Manager) and Carlos Minatti (LIF’s Trustee).
     During the meeting, the visitors watched an institutional video and then they received information about public production of medicines.
     After that, they visited the LIF’s facilities.

The Health Minister led the 17ª Annual General Meeting

On Wednesday the 27th, Miguel González (Health Minister of Santa Fe and President of LIF’s Executive Committee) led the Annual General Meeting at LIF.

 

     Matìas Drivet (Legal Adviser of the Health Ministry) participated as a Government Representative.
     LIF’s Board of Directors Guillermo Cleti, Diego Bruno, Daniel Salomón and Carlos Arques participated in the meeting in which the annual report and financial statement for 2015 were approved.
     Carlos Minatti (LIF’s Trustee) and Roberto Ganin (General Manager) also attended the meeting.
     During the meeting, LIF’s Board of Directors presented the annual balance sheet, the inventory, the memory and the income statement for the period expired on December 31, 2015.
     Also, the management and fees of Board of Directors and Trustee; the investment annual programme; the policies of production, commercialization and research of the Society were approved.

The Health Committee of the Lower House, visited LIF

The Health Committee of the Lower House of Santa Fe province, visited LIF’s facilities and had a meeting with the Directors.

     LIF’s Directors: Diego Bruno, César Daniel Salomón and Guillermo Cleti welcomed the Health Committee’s members, Estela Maris Yaccuzzi, Patricia Guadalupe Chialvo, Raúl Augusto Fernández, Silvia Augsburger and Patricia Norma Tepp.
     Elvia Gómez (Medicines Network and Pharmaceutical Technology’s Director), Carlos Minatti (LIF’s Trustee) and Roberto Ganin (LIF’s General Manager) also participated in the meeting.
     First, the deputies had a meeting with the LIF’s Directors in which they received information about the different projects and watched an institutional video.
     Then, the members of the Committee and their advisors visited the LIF’s facilities such as production, quality control and storage.
     “We feel a great satisfaction when we receive visitors like you. LIF is an important tool for the public healthcare system in Santa Fe, through which the population can access to the medicines. It is essential for us to inform about our projects every time”, expressed Guillermo Cleti.
     “Since 65 years ago, LIF has produced medicines for Santa Fe. Since 2008, LIF has produced medicines for the whole Argentina. On the other hand, LIF has produced for a million people or for one with the same quality . These are our strengths”, said Daniel Salomón.
     “Today, we are more than a 100 people at LIF. In the last 8 years, LIF has produced more than 450 million pharmaceutical units (PU) for primary healthcare system of Santa Fe province and more than 150 million PU for the Health Ministry of the National Government. We want to maintain these numbers in the future and even to improve them”, said Diego Bruno.

Meeting of the ANLAP's Executive Committee - Centre Region

ANLAP’s Board of Directors and members of different laboratories from Centre Region participated in the meeting. It took place at LIF.

     ANLAP* called a meeting of laboratories who are located in the Centre Region of the country (Córdoba, Santa Fe and San Luis).
     Patricio de Urraza ( ANLAP’s President), Santiago Villa (ANLAP’s Director), Jerónimo Chaparro ( ANLAP’s Director), Jorge Zarzur (ANLAP’s Executive Director), Daniel Sabena (Hemoderivados LAB), Fernanda Pesado (LEM SE), Diego Bruno (LIF SE), Daniel Salomón (LIF SE) and Guillermo Cleti (LIF SE), participated in the meeting.
     Members of Laboratorios Puntanos (San Luis) and Laboratorio Municipal (San Francisco - Córdoba) were absent with previous notice.
     The activity took place at LIF headquarters in Santa Fe city.
     During the meeting, they made an analysis about the real situation of the public production of medicines (PPM) and agreed the activities for the first part of the year. Also, they analysed different possibilities to produce medicines for The Health Ministry of The National Government.
     Roberto Ganin (LIF’s General Manager) and Carlos Minatti (LIF’s Trustee) also participated in the meeting.
     “At the beginning of the 2016, we offered 1 million tablets of Paracetamol 500 mg to The National Government. In this moment, Paracetamol tablets still can be very useful to treat patients with dengue disease. We might produce more Paracetamol if The National Government needs it”, said Diego Bruno.
     “Since 2014, LIF has been developing a FONARSEC (1) project. This project has a 60% of the budget from MINCyT(2). In the last months, this project has received a negative impact by inflation and it will need a financial aid from MINCyT. We have given all the information to ANLAP’s Directors because in the next days they will have a meeting with MINCyT’s members”, said Guillermo Cleti.


*ANLAP: Agencia Nacional de Laboratorios Públicos - National Agency of Public Laboratories.
1 - FONARSEC is a financial instrument through which LIF received funds to improve its capacity of production.
2 - MINCyT: Ministerio de Innovación, Ciencia y Tecnología de la Nación - National Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology.

Meeting with the Provincial Director of Knowledge Management

LIF’s Directors received EmmaVölk. Knowledge management in health area was the main topic.

     LIF’s Director Daniel Salomón, Guillermo Cleti and Carlos Arques, received to Emma Völk, the Health Ministry’s Provincial Director of Knowledge Management.
     LIF’s Directors gave her information about the different activities that LIF has developed to train its employees as much as its trainer role of students of different professions through internships at LIF.
     The present agreed to work together in activities linked to training and investigation.

Meeting with the Santa Fe’s General Trustee

LIF’s Directors received Emiliano Arzuaga, General Trustee of Santa Fe, and they had a meeting.

     LIF’s Director Daniel Salomón, Guillermo Cleti and Carlos Arques, received Emiliano Arzuaga (Santa Fe’s General Trustee) and Ana Clara Minetti (Coordination and Supervision Manager of Local Office and UIA*.
     The aim of the visit was to publicize the work being done by the Trustee in its capacity internal control body of the Provincial Executive and in particular the operation of the Health Delegation.
     The General Syndicate (GS) is the internal control body of the provincial Government.
     Informing about the activities of the GS and the activities of the Health Local Office were the main objectives of this meeting.
     LIF’s directors gave information about the different activities that LIF has been making and the projects for 2016.
     After the meeting, the building for the new Administration Area was shown to the visitors.

The Health Minister had a meeting with LIF’s Directors

The meeting took place at LIF. They analysed the different projects for 2016. Improving the population access to medicines and increasing the provision of medicines from the Health Ministry will be the main objectives.

     Santa fe’s Health Minister and LIF Committee's President, Miguel González, had a meeting with LIF’s Directors where they analysed the different projects, those which started in the last year as much as those for 2016.
     Carlos Arques, Diego Bruno and Daniel Salomón (LIF’s Directors) and Carlos Minatti (Trustee) participated in the meeting.
     “During 2015, LIF developed an important experience in the purchase of medicines. The Administration Secretary and the Pharmacy Direction of the Health Ministry also participated in this task. We want to improve this strategy even more”, said Miguel González.
     “Today, LIF is the main manager to buy medicines for The Public Health System in Santa Fe, so in 2016, we want to start developing the formulas of some of these medicines in order to produce them at LIF in the future”, said Daniel Salomón.
     “The Health Minister also want to improve the distribution of the medicines in Santa Fe province. We think that we can help in this topic. Since 2008, LIF has produced medicines for The National Health Ministry and since 2011 for other provinces and cities, so we have achieved an important experience in the distribution of our medicines.”, expressed Diego Bruno.
     After the meeting, everybody visited the building for the new Administration Area. This building is in its final stage. It includes the remodeling and expansion of the Administration Area in almost 700 m2. Around $8.000.000 were invested in this building. Much of this economic resources came from the sales of medicines to the National Health Ministry.
     “Probably, in March we will be inaugurating this new area on the ground level where we will provide our employees with better work conditions. We agreed with the Health Minister to continue with the last stage in this building that include the building of the offices on the first floor”, said Carlos Arques.

New LIF’s President

Santa Fe’s new Health Minister, Miguel González, is also the new LIF’s President.

     Since December 11, Miguel Ciro González is the new Santa Fe’s Health Minister. Since this day, he is automatically the new LIF’s President because the LIF’s Creation Law (N° 11.657) says that.
     The new LIF’s President is a biochemist and has a Degree in Health Management Systems (UNR*).

     In May, 2008, he worked as the IAPOS’ (1) Director.
     In 2010, he was the Director of the Technical Committee of COSPRA (2).
     In December, 2013, he was named Santa Fe’s Health Secretary. He remained in this position until December, 2015.

* UNR: National University of Rosario.
1 - IAPOS: Santa Fe’s social health insurance for civil servants.
2 - COSPRA: Confederación de Obras Sociales Provinciales de la República Argentina - Provincial Federation of Social Health Insurance of Argentina.

End year lunch at LIF

On December 18, LIF’s Board of Directors and Staff members shared a lunch to celebrate the end of the year.

     The main objective was to share a pleasant moment among all LIF’s staff members and to make a summary of the activities done in 2015.
     Finally, Karen (a specialist in folklore music) gave a show for everybody.