After a warning was issued on Monday by the drug suppliers' association about a possible shortage of medicines in the coming weeks, the Health Ministry said it was in contact with hospitals and wholesale suppliers stressing that there would be no shortages and that patient safety would not be jeopardised.

Hospitals’ long-standing debt to pharmaceutical wholesale suppliers is a permanent problem that has been passed down from one year to the next and this government has inherited it, the press release from the ministry said, adding that they were working on a long-term solultion.

“The Health Ministry is aware of the gravity of this problem and is intensively working on its resolution in cooperation with wholesale drug suppliers, with whom it has held several meetings so far. The Health Ministry and the Finance Ministry are making a joint effort to deal with this issue. Last year, the total debt in the health sector was reduced after the Finance Ministry paid an additional 1.267 billion kuna (€162 million),” the press release from the ministry said.

The association of wholesale drug suppliers at the Croatian Employers Association (HUP) warned on Monday that hospitals’ debt for medicines and medical supplies exceeded two billion kuna (€271 million), having gone up 500 million kuna (€68 million) in the first six months this year alone.

The dramatic debt growth is not likely to slow down soon or be covered to a significant degree, the association said, adding that this could result in a shortage of medicines in the coming weeks.

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