IGSS officials are trained to strengthen social security in Guatemala

Through the institutional strengthening component of the Acquisition of Medicines and Hospital Supplies project, implemented by the United Nations system in Guatemala, through UNOPS, and in support of the Guatemalan Social Security Institute (IGSS), more than 700 Social Security officials have been trained.

Officials of the Guatemalan Social Security Institute (IGSS) have received training on Business Intelligence (BI) and health technologies, as part of the process of continuous improvement that the IGSS management has initiated, in the last few years, with the support of the UN in order to increase their potential, professionalization and improved access to quality services for the benefit of the citizens.

The trainings fall within the capacity-building component of the Acquisition of Medicines Project – AMEDIGSS, executed by UNOPS. The IGSS departments covered are the Administrative Sub-management, the Planning – Development Sub-management and the Financial Sub-management; the Central Therapeutic Directorate, the Market Intelligence Unit (UNIMER), Pecuniary Benefits and Logistics Technical Directorate of the Social Security.

The aim of the recent training on BI is to optimize information management as an input for the Institute's strategic planning and decision-making. Similarly, physicians and pharmaceutical chemists from the IGSS Departments of Pharmacotherapy and Drug-Economics have been taking virtual training on health technology evaluations given by the Institute of Clinical and Sanitary Effectiveness (IECS) of Argentina, financed with resources from AMEDIGSS.

These efforts, among others, have trained more than 700 IGSS staff on a variety of subjects, ranging from the evaluation of the Institute's procurement, project management, and contracting medical equipment and civil works in health infrastructure to virtual courses on healthcare technologies. Currently, changes in organizational culture are already beginning to be noticed, more coordination between different departments is now evident. Financial studies and reports are starting to take place faster, as well as internal updates and improvements to certain decision-making processes.

The training has included staff from IGSS headquarters, as well as from the medical units in Guatemala City and in the departments of Quetzaltenango, Escuintla, Alta Verapaz, Retalhuleu, Suchitepéquez, San Marcos, Jutiapa, and Chimaltenango. Likewise, the project has promoted the regional and global exchange of procurement officers of the Institute with other countries, whose experiences are relevant to Social Security, such as Peru by travelling and participating in events.

Since 2016, the Guatemalan Social Security (IGSS) through UNOPS, has savings of 58% that correspond to 2 billion quetzals; distributed 450 million items (units and doses) of medicines improving stock levels by up to 90%; facilitating the efficient management of 65,000 annual deliveries of medicines and clinical supplies for 114 IGSS hospitals at the national level. Likewise, thanks to the project the interest of the market in participating has increased, from 11 participating bidders, before the first event, to the participation of 62 suppliers. This growth shows greater confidence in processes and transparency.

Quality assessment and safety of medicines and clinical supplies acquired by IGSS under UNOPS processes have allowed to increase quality controls, as well as rigorous compliance with the protocols and requirements established by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare (MSPAS), and international certifications.

Through these actions, the United Nations system in Guatemala has generated impacts on the savings of public resources and on the quality in managing public procurements, enabling citizens to have better access to adequate healthcare services, benefiting 3.2 million social security users in Guatemala.