The experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have exposed the weaknesses of Poland's drug security system. While emergency response mechanisms are in place, there is still a lack of clearly defined roles, especially for pharmacists, and a long-term approach to building the country's resilience to emergencies.
Without drugs and energy, we will not help patients. Pharmaceutical safety system needs urgent redefinition
Published May 13, 2026 09:01
The experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have shown that the health care system works under crisis conditions, but needs further refinement. As Col. Dr. Arkadiusz Kosowski, director of the Department of Military Health Services at the Ministry of Defense, points out, once crises have subsided, public sensitivity and readiness to analyze their effects decreases.
As the expert stressed in an interview with us, the pharmaceutical system should be treated as part of the state's critical infrastructure, as it becomes crucial in emergency situations to ensure access to medicines, medical supplies and continuity of supply.
It was also noted that the role of pharmacists in the emergency system has not yet been clearly defined, despite their important function in health care in both peacetime and emergency situations.
As noted in the interview: "Today we know that without energy and without medicines and without medical personnel we will not be able to help patients, " emphasizing the importance of a stable supply system.
Experience in recent years indicates that preparing for crises - from epidemics to war - requires further strengthening the system and better defining responsibility for drug safety.
