Medicine shortages in pharmacies are not monitored in real time. Patients with serious illnesses at risk

An internal audit carried out by the Ministry of Health at the National Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of Romania (ANMDMR) and at the institutions responsible for medicines management has uncovered major problems in the way stocks are monitored. Checks are still largely carried out manually, and reporting is not sufficiently automated to allow authorities to intervene swiftly when vital medicines disappear from pharmacies.

Cezar Irimia, President of the Federation of Cancer Patient Associations of Romania, says the audit findings come as no surprise to patients, as their organisations have been flagging the same issues to the Ministry of Health for a long time.

"We drew these conclusions long ago. We informed the Ministry of Health of the conclusions we, as patients, had reached. But these conclusions have cost us lives — the lives of patients who had no choice but to discontinue their treatment, due to the Ministry of Health's lack of concern," said Cezar Irimia.

He says that the digitalisation of the system, promised by the authorities to enable a faster response to medicine shortages, has yielded no results so far.

"The digitalisation of the system for a faster response, as we are promised, will not happen any time soon — we don't believe it will — because a great deal of money has been spent on this digitalisation with no results whatsoever. So there is nothing new under the sun. We will certainly continue to suffer," said Irimia.

In his view, the authorities will continue to react only after a problem has already arisen, rather than preventing it in advance: "I am convinced they will take a reactive stance in response to our complaints, rather than a proactive one, as promised. So we have no faith in this analysis, because it says nothing new. It says exactly what exists on the ground — what we, as patients, have faced and will continue to face," he said.

Patients sent from pillar to post

One significant issue highlighted is the lack of clear accountability when a patient cannot obtain their treatment. Cezar Irimia recounted that when patients sought a necessary medicine from Unifarm — the state's medicines distribution unit — through a presidential ordinance, they were told that the institution had no obligation towards them and that they should approach other distributors in Romania.

"Which state institutions will be accountable, and which will not, for ensuring our treatments and their continuity? We don't know," said Irimia, adding that the Ministry of Health's report offers no clear answer to this question: "The Ministry of Health's report says nothing on the matter. Yes, something vague — ANMDMR, the Ministry, the structures — but nothing concrete, nothing concrete and no action from today onwards. What will happen from today? Nothing."

"We will run from hospital to hospital, from pharmacy to pharmacy"

Cezar Irimia warns that, without concrete measures, patients will continue to bear the consequences of the system's failings: "We will be marathon runners of the system's services, running from hospital to hospital, from pharmacy to pharmacy, only to meet our end."

He believes the problem cannot be solved through promises of digitalisation or through responses that come only after crises have already emerged, but requires a system capable of flagging supply problems early, before patients are left without treatment.

"They're selling us pipe dreams about digitalising everything and making it all electronic and reported on time. We don't really believe it," Cezar Irimia added.