The Minister of Health Abdullah Nazim Ibrahim has stated that State Trading Organisation (STO) has diversified the pharmaceuticals being imported to the Maldives in an effort to address the ongoing medicine shortage.
Speaking at a press conference at the President’s Office today, the Minister detailed that the government is making progress in easing the current medicine shortage, with a large portion of this problem already resolved. In addition to this, more medications will be added to the Approved Drug List of Maldives as well as the National Essential Medicines list.
Minister Nazim stated that the government is working closely with citizens to fully address their concerns. Furthermore, he said that this matter can only be resolved by working in tandem with the governance system, and Aasandha, the national health insurance scheme.
The diversification of available prescription drugs is part of the work done to consolidate medicine supply throughout the Maldives. Between 800 and 900 pharmaceuticals will now be imported, as opposed to the former 200 medicines.
Also, treatment guidelines have been intensified, with 40 new guidelines introduced in 2025, allowing doctors and health care providers to prescribe medicines more effectively.
The Minister stated that determining a specific company and establishing a specialised system for medicine prescription was the biggest step taken by the government to solve the issue long-term.