While grappling with chronic shortages of many consumer staples, Venezuela is now looking to boost its supply of medicines and strengthen its national healthcare system through its role as president of the South American trade block, Mercosur (Common Market of the South).
The government journal El Correo del Orinoco, reported in November that Esperanza Briceño, President of the Rafael Rangel National Institute of Hygiene, would work with Mercosur members to 'guarantee medicine access for the entire population'.
'[Venezuela's] pro tempore presidency [of Mercosur] signifies a six-month period of political and operational coordination in all activates within the context of Mercosur. In this pro tempore presidency, we will do everything possible so that Venezuelans know what Mercosur is beyond its name and what will be done for the population, specifically within the framework of Mercosur health,' said Briceño.
After years of delays, Venezuela was admitted as the fifth full member of Mercosur in 2012, joining Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Brazil, granting the oil-rich nation access to the bloc's vast markets. In July, it received its annual rotating presidency.
Venezuela has long been plagued by nagging shortages of a range of basic consumer goods, ranging from milk and sugar to toilet paper and medicines. Drugmakers largely blame the paucity of pharmaceuticals on strict price and exchange controls as they struggle to cover costs and get access to hard currency to import materials.