Antidote programmes
The fast and cost-effective distribution of antidotes is vital when treating acute poisonings. NTIC has a central role in developing an efficient system for supplying antidotes, while every year it develops the mandatory “List of obligatory antidotes for health facilities”.

Storage
There are three different levels of antidote storage in Slovakia:
Local: Antidotes that need to be available immediately or are commonly used and should be stored in every hospital (for example, acetylcysteine, flumazenil, naloxone, obidoxime, silibinin). These items are kept in a hospital pharmacy, an emergency department or intensive care unit.
Regional: Expensive or rarely used antidotes such as edetate calcium disodium, DMPS, deferoxamine. The university hospital pharmacy in every region keeps and coordinates the storage.
National: Financially demanding antidotes such as digitalis antitoxin, fomepizole, hydroxocobalamin, antidotum thalii. The NTIC operates a 24-hour service with these antidotes. Emergency transports of antidotes are operated by ambulances or delivery firms. In addition, an emergency supply of all antidotes is stored at the NTIC.
The NTIC keeps a national database covering current information about types, quantities and location of the antidote storages in all Slovak hospitals. The cost of antidotes in the regional and local storages are covered by the hospitals but expensive antidotes stored at the NTIC are funded by the Ministry of Health.
The Slovak NTIC is an important and effective health care body. To maintain the effectiveness of the national database requires regular updates and close cooperation between the NTIC and hospital pharmacies.