CubaPLUS Magazine

With its 17 years of experience, EMCOMED maintains a vitality that makes it unique, linking national production of medicines and diagnostic means, belonging to BioCubaFarma and other companies such as Mathisa and Lácteos Bayamo, with public health institutions and pharmaceutical companies throughout the country.

Due to the great responsibility held by this company, CubaPLUS Magazine interviewed Onecys Perdomo Álvarez, the organization’s Commercial Director, to learn more about EMCOMED’s work at national level.

The executive explained that its management also covers the supply of imported products to complete the Basic National Medication Supply of Cuba, fulfilling one of its functions; to balance, effectively guaranteeing the request for the importation of medicines and reagents.

Once in the country, the products are grouped in the logistics platform and national cold storage, for shipping to the distribution centers in each province, he added.

It also manages 627 medicines, 375 produced nationally (60%) and 252 imported, more than 3,000 items of reagents for different health system programs and 66 raw materials for the dispensary chemist, medical assistance and natural and traditional medicine programs, among other products.

Medicines, reagents and other supplies are taken to pharmacies with a distribution cycle of 7, 10 and 15 days, and to other health institutions once a month, restocking according to the established coverage policy. “We keep a daily follow-up of the products that are out of stock, allowing them to be strategically delivered to customers when they arrive at our distribution centers, especially if they are essential,” he said.

From the early years of EMCOMED's existence, he pointed out, a medical emergency management system was designed to guarantee delivery of medicines to life-threatened patients anywhere in the country within 24 to 48 hours.

This is possible because its structure includes control centers and specialized personnel, who work 24 hours a day, controlling the stock of all the products sold. If the requested medicine is not available, then the health system is informed so that it can evaluate another therapeutic alternative in a timely manner. “We uphold his task passionately, because of the sensitivity it involves, and we have never given that up," he said.

Among the organization's key processes is that of commercial, managing the supply chain, purchasing, sales, billing, claims, among others, in connection with the organization’s other processes. 

Another of EMCOMED's features, said the specialist, is that it also offers specialized logistics services with high added value to the Cuban pharmaceutical industry, and more recently, to other sectors, which are guaranteed by qualified and specialized personnel and allow an increase in income generation to improve economic results. Today it offers around nine services, with very ambitious short and medium term growth targets.

“Our commitment to people's health is not only a slogan, it is much more, it is for our management to be part of every day, to give life.

That is why EMCOMED is an organization that does not stop," the executive finished.

Contact

Calzada de Vento No. 4161 / Línea de Ferrocarril y Callejón de Miraflores, Cerro, La Habana, Cuba.

Phone: +53 76464127

Email: gcomunicacion@oc.emcomed.cu