The government is set to inaugurate the ‘State Pharma Portal’, a centralised digital platform designed to ensure that citizens across the country can access essential medications regardless of their geographic location, Dr Shah Mahir, the managing director of the State Pharmaceutical and Medical Supply Corporation, announced. The initiative, spearheaded by the newly established state corporation, aims to alleviate the chronic burden of securing imported prescription drugs, a persistent concern for the public.
For many Maldivians, the unavailability of critical medications and the protracted waiting periods associated with pharmaceutical imports have served as significant sources of distress. Recognising that previous systems failed to adequately capture public grievances, the corporation has launched a dedicated 24-hour call centre. Reachable at the hotline 1505 from any region, the service allows citizens to report unavailable drugs, request items requiring importation, and obtain pharmaceutical information.
The forthcoming State Pharma Portal will digitise this fulfilment process, enabling patients to submit prescriptions and place orders from anywhere in the country, according to Mahir. The system is engineered to deliver medications as swiftly as possible, guaranteeing a maximum wait time of one week for delayed items.
"I view this as the opening of a highly significant door,” Mahir stated. “Currently, our associates and other individuals frequently reach out to us directly regarding the complaints and challenges they are facing. Moving forward, we will collaborate extensively on the backend with Aasandha and NSPA [National Social Protection Agency] to formulate solutions based on the data gathered through our call centre."