The Province of Santa Fe, through its Ministry of Health, has issued a tender for the implementation of an automated system for the operations of the Santa Fe Outpatient Medical Specialties Centre Laboratory (CEMAFE) and the management of supplies for biochemical determinations, including technical service. The official budget allocated for this project is $2,029,050,880. Eight bids were received during the opening of envelopes, which took place at the hospital in the city of Santa Fe.
The investment was planned for the installation of automatic analysers connected to each other, with modules that automate the loading, preparation, analysis, recovery, and storage of samples.
The expansion will include bacteriological analyses alongside clinical analyses to address global issues. According to the provincial health secretary, Andrea Uboldi, these improvements will efficiently tackle antibiotic resistance by enabling the identification of the most effective treatments for infections.
The automation process aims to reposition Cemafe for timely responses to the Laboratory Network and first-level health care providers. This decision by Health Minister Silvia Ciancio and Governor Maximiliano Pullaro supports networking.
"It affects the care of our professionals, as these automated equipment provide a unique and quality response; and it impacts users, ensuring the studies maintain the same quality, whether conducted at a health centre or at Cemafe," said the Secretary.
Santa Fe prioritises health investments.
The Secretary of Administration, Guillermo Álvarez, stated that the Government of the Province is making a significant investment in public health. He highlighted that the automation of the Cemafe laboratory will make it the most modern in Santa Fe and likely one of the best-equipped in Argentina.
He stated that the province of Santa Fe continues to invest in public health, particularly in relation to a global health issue.
Eduardo Anchart, director of the Provincial Laboratory Network, stated that the Cemafe laboratory's clinical biochemistry processes were partially automated. The upcoming tender will additionally automate microbiology processes and update current ones, marking a significant milestone for public health.
The automation system will be connected by a pneumatic belt for distribution and transport of sample tubes to different analysers, optimising operations, required volumes, response times, final process speed and operational safety; reducing operator interventions, unjustified variations and errors.
The event was also attended by the undersecretaries of Territorial Management Centro Norte, Leonardo Martínez Dechiara; of Third Level, Patricia Morales; the director of Cemafe, Sebastián Calvet; the deputy director, Natalia Anaya; and the coordinator of the Laboratory Network of the province of Santa Fe, Viviana Mugna, among others.
Bids
The submitted bids are: Ianus S.A., $63,976,000; Roche, $1,415,743,864.92; Biodiagnóstico S.A., $9,896,400; Droguería Sistema y Equipos para la Salud, $88,240,356; Totaro, $49,126,000; Ing. Andrés Ivern, $2,859,726,423.75; Distribuidora Muller, $208,154,500; Siemens, $2,013,114,066.50. Some bids cover all items in the tender documents, while others quote selectively. A thorough analysis will be conducted for their award.
