Region:
Year: 2002
Court: Supreme Court of Justice [Corte Suprema de Justicia de la Nación Argentina]
Health Topics: Chronic and noncommunicable diseases, Disabilities, Health care and health services, Medicines, Poverty
Human Rights: Right to health
Tags: Access to drugs, Access to health care, Access to medicines, Access to treatment, Blind, Disabilities, Handicapped, Low income, Neurological diseases, Poor, Underprivileged
A 55-year-old woman suffering from multiple sclerosis brought case against the Government of Argentina and the Province of Buenos Aires for acts and omissions that prevented the provision of the medications necessary for her condition that she could not afford. The petitioner’s illness did not fall within the provincial government’s jurisdiction for coverage. Therefore, the petitioner received medications from authorities at the federal level. However, she was given a quantity insufficient for treating her condition. Founding her claim under articles 42 (right to health) and 75 (constitutional incorporation of human rights instruments) of the National Constitution and National Law No. 23,661 (which created the national health insurance system), and the Ministry of Health Resolution No. 939/2000 (as modified by Resolution No. 1/2001), laws Nos. 24.901 and 22.431, and the constitution of the Province of Buenos Aires, the petitioner asked the Court to issue a precautionary measure and order the Government of Argentina and the Province of Buenos Aires to provide the necessary medications.
The Supreme Court required, under Art. 43 (right to amparo (appeal for legal protection)) of the National Constitution of Argentina and Art. 8 of Law No. 16.986 and Art. 341 of the Federal Code of Civil and Commercial Procedure, the Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires and the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Nation to issue and publish within ten days of the court order a report on the facts and grounds for the measures at issue. The Court also required the Government of Argentina and Province of Buenos Aires to undertake the requested precautionary measures within five days of the court order to urgently provide petitioner with the medication needed, after which must be reported to the Court to prevent overlap in the provision of medications to petitioner by the demanded parties.
"1°) Que a fs. 19/25 Susana Beatriz Orlando, quien denuncia tener 55 años de edad y sufrir discapacidad visual y motora por padecer de esclerosis múltiple, promovió ante la justicia federal la presente acción de amparo contra la Provincia de Buenos Aires y el Estado Nacional, a fin de obtener la medicación necesaria para enfrentar el mal que sufre por carecer de recursos económicos para ello. Manifiesta que dirige su pretensión contra actos y omisiones de los demandados, en tanto demanda al Estado provincial pues la esclerosis múltiple no resulta ser una patología cubierta por la Dirección de Política del Medicamento (ver fs. 10, expediente 2946-2607/01), y, por consiguiente, no es provisto por las autoridades locales; por su parte, el Estado Nacional, por intermedio del Ministerio de Desarrollo Social de la Nación, solamente le entregó seis cajas del medicamento en cuestión, Acetato de Glatiramer-Copolimero (Copaxone), en agosto de 2001, cantidad que resulta insuficiente para paliar la enfermedad, y cuyo pedido de renovación no ha sido contestado hasta la fecha (ver fs. 3). (…)"
"Por ello, se resuelve: (…) Hacer lugar a la medida cautelar y ordenar a las demandadas que provean a la actora en forma urgente el medicamento Acetato de Glatiramer, Copolimero (Copaxone)."