Drug diversion in hospitals: why Europe needs a digital response
1 June 2026
Recent reporting by the Dutch research programme Zembla has highlighted the growing black-market trade of highly addictive opioids such as oxycodone and morphine, which are reportedly being diverted from pharmacies and hospitals and sold through platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp.
The investigation pointed to vulnerabilities in the pharmaceutical supply chain and medication management systems, including cases at the Haga Hospital in The Hague, where an employee was caught stealing opioids over a long period. According to reporting by AD, several other hospital staff members were also dismissed in recent years following incidents involving the theft of controlled medication.
To better understand weaknesses in stock management and registration procedures, Haga Hospital brought in investigation agency Hoffmann. According to Hoffmann, requests from healthcare organisations to review internal procedures related to controlled substances have increased significantly in recent years.
At the European Health Management Association (EHMA), we believe this situation points not only to individual failures, but also to broader weaknesses linked to outdated and manual systems. Our paper Leveraging digitalisation and automation for controlled substances management in European hospitals highlights exactly why these vulnerabilities exist and how they can be addressed.
The cost of manual inefficiency
The Zembla report found that stolen drugs often result from internal drug diversion, where individuals take advantage of gaps in the pharmaceutical chain. This aligns with EHMA’s findings that the continued reliance on traceability gaps, such as paper-based or manual logs, in many European hospitals creates significant opportunities for the exploitation of system vulnerabilities.
This risk is compounded by a heavy administrative burden, with over 40% of hospital pharmacists identifying the manual registration and dispensing of these drugs as a major operational challenge. Without automated checks, human error and discrepancies in stock management can go unnoticed until it is too late. When medication management is manual, accountability becomes more difficult to guarantee.
The digital solution: A path forward
Digitalisation can play an important role in reducing the risk of drug diversion. By moving toward a more automated medication loop, hospitals can better track controlled substances from procurement to patient administration.
According to EHMA’s policy recommendations, the transition should include:
- Electronic prescribing and barcoding: Replacing manual entries with unique identifiers to help ensure the right drug reaches the right patient.
- Automated Dispensing Cabinets (ADCs): Using secure, digital lockers that only open for authorised staff and record every transaction in real-time.
- EU-wide harmonisation: Working with the European Commission to support standard digital record-keeping approaches that reduce vulnerabilities across systems.
A call to action for policymakers
The trade of stolen opiates is increasingly moving to social media and online platforms, while regulatory authorities continue adapting to these developments.
However, enforcement alone is not enough. Greater investment in the digitalisation of medication management at both EU and Member State level will also be necessary to reduce opportunities for diversion before incidents occur.
Strengthening digital infrastructure can help protect healthcare professionals, patients, and healthcare systems while improving accountability in the management of controlled substances.
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