The relevant government agencies on Tuesday held a sit-down to discuss ways to make the availability of prescription medicine through local pharmacies more easier for the public.
The deliberations were led by the Minister of Health Abdullah Nazim Ibrahim and Minister of Social and Family Development Dr Aishath Shiham with officials from the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA), Aasandha Company Limited and National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) in attendance.
The discussions centered around ensuring ease of access to medicines in line with the government's objectives and addressing the existing difficulties in the availability of medicines.
They also discussed the possibilities of importing medicines from developed countries under the bulk procurement system, bringing in quality medicines as promised by the government and providing information to doctors about the medicines imported through a unified system.
The information sessions are being conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, MFDA, NSPA and Aasandha.
The government has recognised that expenditures on pharmaceuticals constitute one of the largest and most wasteful costs within the healthcare system. The national insurance system, managed by Aasandha, reports that over half of its expenses are related to the importation of medicines, a figure that continues to rise annually.