01/04/2024 – 22:23
Traditional program for the free distribution or with a 90% discount of medicines subsidized by the Ministry of Health, Farmácia Popular distributed, between July 2015 and December 2020, R$7.43 billion in medicines to deceased patients. The program also sold R$2.57 billion in medicines without an invoice proving the purchase by the accredited establishment.
The conclusions are contained in an audit by the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU). According to the report, the problems resulted from the lack of greater control over reimbursements to pharmacies where the medicines are collected. This is because inspection occurs, in most cases, remotely and manually.
In the case of distribution to deceased patients, the CGU cross-checked the patient's Individual Taxpayer Registry (CPF) with authorizations issued by the Ministry of Health and information from the National Civil Registration System (Sirc), the Death Control System of the Ministry of Social Security (Sisobi) and the DataSus Mortality Information System (SIM).
“The situation denotes waste of public resources and fraud committed by the individual making the purchase, circumventing controls at the pharmacy, or by the establishment itself”, highlighted the CGU in the report.
Regarding sales without an invoice, the audit found that spending on medicines without an invoice was equivalent to 18.5% of the R$13.8 billion disbursed by Farmácia Popular during the investigation period. When analyzing 362 million sales records in this interval, 17.4% were not covered by medication stocks supported by tax documentation.
At Farmácia Popular, accredited establishments pass on medicines to patients at a 90% discount in relation to the reference value. Medicines for the treatment of hypertension, diabetes and asthma are distributed free of charge. Traders are reimbursed by the Secretariat of Science, Technology, Innovation and Health Complex, of the Ministry of Health, which subsidizes the acquisition of medicines.
Sampling
The inspection was carried out through sampling in accredited pharmacies and drugstores in five states: Bahia, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais and Paraíba. In these establishments, daily records of entries and exits were analyzed, compared with electronic invoices from the Federal Revenue Service. According to the CGU, this method is more effective than the traditional consolidated monthly verification procedure.
After electronic inspection, technicians physically inspected the establishments to confirm the effectiveness of the tool developed. Traders who committed irregularities, highlighted the CGU, may suffer punishments, such as the return of funds, payment of a fine and even disqualification from the program.
Recommendations
To reduce losses, the CGU recommended the development of a risk treatment plan, similar to those adopted by Federal Revenue intelligence, and the disqualification of establishments that do not prove sales with an invoice. The body also advised the improvement of control mechanisms that attest to the presence of the final beneficiary at the point of sale and the adoption of measures to recover funds unduly paid.
The report recommended that the Ministry of Health use the Sentinel system, which could be made available by the CGU itself, or another application with a similar methodology to reinforce first line of defense controls. According to the CGU, this system automates the circulation of medicine distribution information upon proof of effective and regular purchase of medicines on the market.
The Ministry of Health reported that it is evaluating the results and recommendations of the CGU audit. The folder did not provide further details.
Fraud crackdown
Fraud in the Popular Pharmacy Program is not uncommon and has been repressed by the government. In September, the Federal Police (PF) fulfilled 62 search and seizure warrants against those accused of fictitious sales of medicines in four states: Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Amazonas and Ceará.
The investigations began in October 2022, based on news of the fictitious sale of medicines by a chain of pharmacies operating in the southern region of the country. The defendants improperly used citizens' data to defraud pharmacy purchases. According to the PF, those investigated will, in theory, be responsible for the crimes of embezzlement against the Union, forgery of a private document, criminal association, ideological falsehood and use of a false document.
#Farmácia #Popular #distributed #R7.4 #billion #deceased #people
