Government announces R$2.4 billion in purchases of health equipment

The federal government will invest R$2.4 billion in the purchase of more than 10,000 pieces of healthcare equipment for basic care and surgeries, applying preferential margins to products made in Brazil and with national technology. The information was released this Monday (4) by the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services.

“This means that Brazilian equipment can be purchased even if its prices are between 10% and 20% higher than similar imported equipment,” the ministry highlighted in a note.

The first competition is scheduled to begin this week – the list of equipment was published last Thursday (31). The purchases, aimed at the Unified Health System (SUS), will be made by the Ministry of Health via a public notice, within the scope of the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC) Health.

According to the statement, the margin of preference grants differentiated treatment to manufactured goods and services developed in Brazil, as long as the nationality criteria defined by the Interministerial Commission for Innovation and Acquisitions of the New PAC are observed.

The note also highlights that Brazil currently produces around 45% of its national needs in medicines, vaccines, medical equipment and devices, materials, and other health supplies and technologies. The goal is to increase production to 50% by 2026 and to 70% by 2033.

SUS Supply

The list of equipment published last week includes 17 products for basic care and 11 used in ophthalmological surgeries and procedures, within the scope of specialized care and also primary care.

In primary care, the list includes items such as a cold room for storing vaccines; digital fundus camera; electrocautery (electric scalpel), automatic external defibrillator, vascular Doppler, low-power therapeutic laser, ultrasound for physiotherapy, and portable digital scales.

In specialized care, items such as anesthesia equipment, radiolucent electric surgical table, portable ultrasound, ophthalmic surgical microscope, laser for ophthalmology and rigid videoendoscopy system were listed.