Bosnia and Herzegovina sets first national essential medicines list
Bosnia and Herzegovina has established its first national Essential Medicines List under the 2008 medicines law, creating a country-wide minimum for medicines financed through compulsory health insurance and used in hospital care.
The Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Agencija za lijekove i medicinska sredstva Bosne i Hercegovine, ALMBIH) drew renewed attention to the list on 3 July. The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Vijeće ministara Bosne i Hercegovine) had adopted the Decision establishing the Essential Medicines List in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Odluka o utvrđivanju liste esencijalnih lijekova u Bosni i Hercegovini) on 23 March. It was published in the Official Gazette on 19 May and took effect on 27 May.
The list closes a long-standing gap in the state-level framework. The 2008 Medicines and Medical Devices Law requires a national essential medicines list to be established at least every two years, with agreement from the entity health ministries and the Brčko District health department. ALMBIH said this is the first list adopted under that law, almost 18 years after its enactment.
The list defines the minimum medicines prescribed and dispensed at the expense of compulsory health insurance, together with the minimum used in hospital care. It covers general healthcare institutions, oncology and haematology services, and vaccination programmes.
Health insurance funds may finance medicines beyond this minimum where resources allow. The list therefore creates a common national benefit floor while preserving broader coverage by individual funds. The statutory two-year cycle also provides a basis for recurring national decisions on that minimum coverage.
Source: Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Link: Obavještenje u vezi sa listom esencijalnih lijekova BiH (Notice concerning the Essential Medicines List of Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Date: 3 July 2026
Source: Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Link: Odluka o utvrđivanju liste esencijalnih lijekova u Bosni i Hercegovini (Decision establishing the Essential Medicines List in Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Date: 19 May 2026
Source: Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Link: Lista esencijalnih lijekova ili Esencijalna lista lijekova (Essential Medicines List)
Date: 24 March 2026