The Argentine government has called on the countries of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) to achieve self-sufficiency in the healthcare industry.
Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero made the plea during the “Mercosur Innovation and Health Day” held as part of the X Mercosur Business Forum.
Cafiero highlighted the importance of the pharmaceutical sector as an industrializing and export-oriented industry that adds value to the region.
He emphasized the need for regional supply chains to ensure sovereignty and strategic autonomy, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Argentina, currently holding the rotating presidency of Mercosur, aims to strengthen the bloc to enhance its trade, scale, market, and strategic capabilities.
The Mercosur bloc includes Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Carla Vizzotti, Argentina’s Minister of Health, emphasized the significance of cooperation between governments and public and private scientific sectors in response to the pandemic.
She stressed the importance of synergizing innovative technological projects and coordinating agendas to strengthen access to high-priced drugs.
Daniel Filmus, Argentina’s Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, emphasized the need for regional self-sufficiency in the healthcare industry.
He acknowledged the complexity of achieving this goal but emphasized that it would foster integration among countries, making them internationally competitive with their own solutions.
The event aimed to strengthen public-private collaboration and achieve regional self-sufficiency in the healthcare industry.
It focused on two main areas: the production of strategic healthcare goods and the application of new technologies for healthcare management.
Panels and discussions explored the challenges faced by the productive sector in the medical device and equipment supply chains.
Proposals were also put forward to develop regional production capacities for medical and health equipment.
Representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, including delegations from the pharmaceutical industry, universities, software chambers, and software companies, attended the meeting, fostering collaboration and innovation within the Mercosur countries.