Until 2010, the estimates and planning for the purchase of medicines and supplies in the public sector of the Dominican Republic were carried out in each individual health establishment without a standardized methodology. Within the framework of implementing the Integrated System for Medicine and Supply Management (Sistema Único de Gestión de Medicamentos e Insumos, or SUGEMI), the National Medicine and Supply Management Unit (Unidad Nacional de Gestión de Medicamentos e Insumos, or UNGM) of the National Health Service (Servicio Nacional de Salud, or SNS), with the support of the Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals and Services (SIAPS) Program, began using a standardized methodology for national planning exercises for purchasing in 2011. These exercises necessitated first development of a manual for estimation and planning of purchases (Manual de Estimación y Programación para la Compra) and subsequently catalogs of medicines, medical-surgical supplies, and laboratory reagents and equipment.
