Peru: Direct purchase of medical devices approved by Ministry of Health
According to Peru’s Directorate General for Medicines, Inputs and Drugs (DIGEMID) of the Ministry of Health, medical devices and supplies such as colostomy bags, burn gauze, neonatal blankets, filters, dialyzers, etc. can be purchased directly from drugstores or laboratories by submitting a medical prescription.
Several of these products were not available for purchase in pharmacies due to their low turnover and high cost. This forced user to buy them in places which did not guarantee the product quality putting the health of the population at risk.
DIGEMID approved a list of medical devices to be available at the drugstores and laboratories where people who need them can buy at ease and reducing illegal trade. The document also stated that other medical devices such as vital signs monitors, defibrillators, electrocardiographs, anesthesia machines, X-ray equipment, tomographs, mammograms, in vitro diagnostic reagents, etc. can be purchased directly from the drugstores by healthcare professionals at Institutions that Provide Health Services (IPRESS). The DIGEMID specialists also indicated that very low-risk medical devices such as stethoscopes, electronic thermometers, dental instruments can be sold directly to the public in commercial establishments.
