Ministry of Health: There Will Be No Shortage of Medicines

In response to the warning from the Coordination of Wholesalers of Medicines of the Croatian Employers’ Association (HUP), which announced a possible shortage of medicines on Monday, the Ministry of Health stated that they are in constant contact with hospitals and wholesalers, as well as with the Ministry of Finance, asserting that there will be no shortage of medicines and that patient safety will not be compromised.

>>>Wholesalers: Hospital Debts Exceed 2 Billion Kuna, Possible Shortage of Medicines

The long-standing debt of hospitals for medicines is a persistent problem that has been passed down from year to year, and this Government has inherited it. As part of broader activities aimed at establishing a financially sustainable healthcare system, the Ministry of Health is working on a long-term solution to this issue, the statement said.

“The Ministry of Health is aware of the severity of this problem and is intensively working on its resolution in cooperation with wholesalers, with whom several meetings have been held so far. Joint efforts are also being made by the ministries of health and finance. Last year, the problem was resolved by reducing the total debt in healthcare, as the Ministry of Finance additionally paid 1.267 billion kuna based on the state’s legal obligations.”

The Coordination of Wholesalers warned that the total debts of hospitals for medicines and medical supplies amount to more than two billion kuna, and this debt has increased by 500 million kuna in just the past six months.

>>>Association of Wholesalers: Hospitals Face Foreclosures

This will result in one billion kuna of new debt incurred just this year, leaving wholesalers with fewer and fewer options for the economic justification of their operations. Therefore, wholesalers claim that there are increasingly clear indications that a shortage of medicines could occur in the coming weeks.