Affiliations: Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y
Farmacéuticas (FCByF), Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina | Farmacéutica. Auditora de Farmacia de la Obra
Social del personal público de la Provincia de Santa Fe. Docente del
Área Farmacia Asistencial, (FCByF), Universidad Nacional de Rosario,
Argentina | Doctoren Derecho, Prof. de Derecho de la Salody
Bioderecho, Argentina
Note: [] Corresponding author: Salamano Mercedes, Farmacéutica.
Magister en Ciencia Política y Sociología. Profesor Adjunto del
Area Farmacia Asistencial. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y
Farmacéuticas, (FCByF), Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina.
E-mail: mailto:msalamano@fbioyf.unr.edu.ar
Abstract: The aim of this article is to characterize the procedure of
judicialization to request drugs in a health plan for public employees in the
Province of Santa Fe, corresponding to the south area, which coexists with
other two subareas, public and private. These administrative and/or judicial
procedures add to the idea that the "judicialization of health" obtains
provision of drugs which are not considered by the health system. This research
employs a qualitative methodology with analysis of the content of drugs claims
which were filed in appeals for protection by members. The sample includes 43
claims, and it was taken from a total of 209 claims for protection filed at the
health plan's Legal Department during 2007–2013. Most of the claims for
protection are related to high cost drugs. In most of the cases, the plaintiff
obtains what they claim. As regards arguments in favor of the plaintiffs, some
statements endorse forensic experts' reports, others highlight the need and
urgency of having the requested drug available, and still others present the
drug as orphan, unique or novel. In those cases which were favorable to the
health plan, similar reasons were observed between the expert witnesses and the
defendant party.
Keywords: Judicialization of health, drugs claims, medicalization, high cost drugs
