Health Minister Abdulla Nazim says the shortage of medicines in the Maldives has eased after the State Trading Organisation (STO) increased the volume and variety of drugs it imports, and that the situation will improve further once the newly established pharmaceutical company becomes fully operational.
Speaking on SSTV’s Baaru Hathareh programme, Nazim acknowledged that complaints about medicine shortages continue to surface on social media, despite the government previously announcing several deadlines to resolve the issue.
Nazim said changes brought to the Aasandha system had affected the pricing of medicines, prompting the government to expand STO’s role in importing essential drugs.
“We have now added hundreds of brands and generics that were not previously imported through STO, and we have significantly increased STO’s supply. As a result, we believe the situation is better than before,” he said.
The minister added that treatment guidelines are being developed to standardise how doctors prescribe medicines at different stages of care. He said these guidelines, along with the expanded supply, will help ease shortages.
The government has also established a new state‑owned company, State Pharmaceutical and Medical Supplies, dedicated to importing medicines and medical consumables.
Nazim said preparations are underway for the company to begin operations.
“There is no doubt the company will become fully functional and provide greater solutions to the existing problems,” he said, adding that a specialised entity would deliver better results in the long term.
STO, which is already a 100 percent state‑owned enterprise, currently imports and sells medicines, medical consumables and equipment in bulk, and operates pharmacies across all inhabited islands.