Valeriy Dubil: To Prevent Drug Shortages During Russian Attacks, the Ministry of Health Must Coordinate Its Actions with Business

Systematic Russian drone and missile attacks have destroyed a number of pharmaceutical warehouses and pharmacies along with tons of medicines. To prevent drug shortages and supply disruptions, government agencies critically need to establish prompt and regular communication with market representatives.

This was stated by First Deputy Chair of the Committee on National Health Valeriy Dubil after a Committee meeting, reports ForUA.

The parliamentarian emphasized that a mechanism for rapid replacement and delivery of medicines must be developed. The most at risk are narrow-profile medicines that do not have a sufficient number of equivalents on the market.

“Over the past six months the State Medicines Service ignored 7 official requests for explanations and proposals to amend the legislation from a single Association. And this is happening while the enemy is destroying logistics,” the deputy leader of Batkivshchyna complained.

According to him, during the meeting of the parliamentary Committee on National Health he wanted to hear answers from the Ministry of Health to three key questions:

1. Compensation for lost stocks: Is the Ministry developing an effective mechanism to compensate for goods stocks of pharmacies and suppliers destroyed by shelling?

2. Parallel import of medicines: Is the Ministry of Health prepared, for the duration of martial law, to simplify and speed up the procedure for parallel importation of medicinal products as much as possible, and also to allow their immediate sale in the pharmacy network, which is currently blocked by Article 78 of the Law “On Medicines,” the new version of which will enter into force on 1 January 2027?

That decision would allow the market to be quickly supplied with scarce medicines.

3. Cancellation of excessive requirements: Is it appropriate now, under conditions of war, personnel shortages, and shelling, to increase regulatory pressure on pharmacies, for example by requiring a pharmacist to be present at every cash register?

“The Ministry of Health emphasizes that the situation is under control and that three months’ reserves of critically necessary medicines have been created in medical institutions. However, a real and systematic conversation between officials and market representatives still does not exist.

Since the sector regulator is effectively ignoring direct appeals from business, I will appeal to the Ministry of Health with a proposal to establish, for the duration of martial law, a platform for dialogue between representatives of public pharmaceutical associations, manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacy chains. Only an honest, constructive conversation and the development of joint solutions is the only way to ensure Ukrainians have medicines in this critical time,” Valeriy Dubil concluded.