Essential medicines list updated after a decade, citizens seek more than a new document

For the first time in more than a decade, health authorities have approved a new version of the essential medicines list. The updated document includes 372 pharmaceutical products, 193 of them new additions, while 12 medications on the previous list have been removed. The changes include grouping medicines into 28 therapeutic categories and, for the first time, adding contraceptives and nicotine replacement therapy.

The Ministry of Health explained that the list was drafted based on the latest scientific evidence and the current needs of healthcare. However, for patients, the question that remains is what concrete difference they will see in their pockets and on pharmacy shelves. Will the new therapies actually be accessible and affordable?

Citizens’ views reflect a mixed reality. Some view the modernization effort positively. One citizen said it was necessary for the list to be updated periodically with new medicines and that he considered the prices average, adding that the main medicines are covered by the Health Fund. “The list has now been updated,” he concluded.

Others, meanwhile, describe a less optimistic side of their everyday lives. One citizen who has been taking medication for nearly three decades said he regularly spends between 1,000 and 2,000 denars a month. Although he obtains most of his medicines by prescription, he buys two privately and noted that blood pressure medications have become significantly more expensive.

Another patient raised concerns about the physical availability of medicines. He said that for nearly two months he had been unable to find his blood pressure medication, adding that pharmacies had been out of stock and that he had been forced to wait for weeks. These accounts highlight that beyond being included on a list, patients need their therapy to be available in pharmacies and covered by health insurance.

Under the newly approved legislation, the essential medicines list will undergo a review every two years. It is important to distinguish this list from the Positive List, which determines which medicines are reimbursed by the Health Insurance Fund. Data from the Fund show that 27.3 million prescriptions for medicines were processed in 2025 alone, while new pharmaceutical brands have also been introduced into circulation this year.