No more medicine shortages

No more medicine shortages

Yesterday was a happy day for some but a sad day for others. Mexicans should be happy because the lower chamber approved the reform to the Acquisition law and now the federal government has no excuse to argue that medicine shortages are the result of corruption. On the other hand, it was a sad day for the national pharmaceutical industry, who says President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration has delivered a deadly blow to the industry because the new law will allow the Mexican government to purchase medicines, equipment, and other services abroad; the only requirement is to determine that a national tender is not the best option. If what the national pharmaceutical sector said is true, we will see if this blow was worth it and if the health sector will finally eradicate medicine shortages.

PRIMor strikes again

As we previously said, the PRI helped Morena lawmakers to gain two-thirds of the seats in the Permanent Commission, which then allowed the ruling party and its allies to approve a reform that allows the Mexican government to purchase medicines and equipment abroad. Later, PRI members ratified their intent and voted along with Morena, PT, PES, PVEM. The PRI argued that the voted in favor of the reform so that the federal government has no excuses for medicine shortages. Nevertheless, the PRI vote didn’t please opposition parties because it broke with their block against Morena, which had allowed them to block several proposals made by the ruling party. Sources said that with this, the PRI showed that there is an alliance between the PRI and Morena.

Trouble at Morena

Yesterday, the Senate was about to vote to appoint the director of the Federal Center for Settlement and Registry when senator Martí Batres Guadarrama suddenly said that the Labor Commission, led by Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, wasn’t included in the process and it should have led the process. Sources said this is just a taste of what is to come in the upcoming process to appoint a new Senate leader, who will be chosen by Morena. This move will show which Morena group is more powerful.

Why did the Supreme Court vote against the decriminalization of abortion in Veracruz?

Although four Supreme Court ministers voted against the decriminalization of abortion in Veracruz sparked outrages sources said the panorama is much more complex. During the discussion, it became clear that ministers Norma Piña, Jorge Pardo, Margarita Ríos, and Alfredo Gutiérrez are not against the decriminalization of abortion, but it became evident that they didn’t risk to violate a crucial principle in law: authorities can only do something that is explicitly allowed. The Law of Amparo establishes that nor judges, tribunals, or the Supreme Court can solve matters that aren’t included in the lawsuits, as in the case of abortion in Veracruz. Nevertheless, sources said that in her speech, minister Norma Piña mentioned what is the legal path to decriminalizing abortion in Veracruz.

gm