The team of the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine took part in the international conference "Pharmacy during war and crisis: pharmacists as an element of state resilience", held at the Warsaw Medical University.
Participants discussed the challenges faced by the healthcare system under wartime conditions and approaches to ensuring uninterrupted access to medicinal products.
As noted by EDC Director Edem Adamov, Ukraine's experience demonstrates that the resilience of the healthcare system is built in advance through institutional decisions, regulatory flexibility and the ability to adapt quickly to emergency conditions.
Among the solutions that ensured Ukraine's continuity of access to medicinal products during the war, he named: simplification of regulatory procedures, further digitalisation, restructuring of supply chains, adaptation of manufacturing to the needs of the state, and others.
Particular attention was paid to the role of the State Expert Center. In crisis conditions, the Center performed not only technical but also system-forming functions. In particular, it ensured the availability of medicines for patients through pricing regulation and control mechanisms, the stability of expert procedures, harmonization with international standards, and the adaptation of the national regulatory system to EU requirements as the foundation of European integration.
In the speeches of the Ukrainian delegation, it was also emphasized that in wartime, clear interaction between the state and business and the new role of pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers acquired particular importance – they were effectively integrated into the state's critical infrastructure system.
Conclusions for European countries
The Ukrainian experience presented at the conference outlines a number of systemic approaches that could be taken into account by European regulators. In particular, the following:
- Introducing regulatory flexibility to preserve access to medicines
- Further digitalization of services for effective interaction and resilience
- Adaptation of supply chains, price control, inspections, prevention of shortages and other security mechanisms – to guarantee the quality of treatment
- Pharmacies and manufacturers in a crisis are not retail, but part of critical infrastructure.
The Ukrainian pharmaceutical system did not merely withstand the pressure – it continued its European path of development, preserving the trust of patients and market participants.
As emphasized by Edem Adamov, Director of the State Expert Center, Ukraine is ready to share its practical experience with international partners, since the challenges it has faced may become a reality for other countries as well.
The common task remains to turn this experience into systemic preparedness for future crises.
