President implements measures to resolve difficulties in accessing medicine

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, on Tuesday, has announced changes to the system to prevent financial difficulties and medicine shortages in obtaining medicines through Aasandha.

The changes were made upon the recommendation of the cabinet following debate on a paper submitted by the Health Ministry at Sunday’s cabinet meeting.

The new measures being introduced are as follows:

1.  A mechanism will be established to ensure all prescribed medicines in the country are registered under Aasandha.
2.  Finalise the treatment guidelines.
3. Arrangements will be made for doctors to access the dashboard currently under development to view medicines available through the State Trading Organisation (STO).
4. Doctors will be informed about these changes (points 3).
5. All medicines on the approved drug list will be made available in STO pharmacies without interruption.
6. STO will obtain the necessary permissions to import medicines through foreign hospitals empanelled by Aasandha under Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) policies. As a permanent solution, STO will establish a system to source medicines directly from manufacturers.
7. The four GP clinics to be established in Malé will ensure uninterrupted access to medicines through the STO pharmacy. Additionally, a system will be implemented in all islands and regional hospitals to ensure medicines are provided solely through Aasandha, with any unavailable medicines on the islands supplied by STO upon request.
8. Foreign Ministry will have an expanded role in assisting with the importation of medicines from abroad.
9. Health Ministry will address service delivery issues and any concerns referred to them regarding these matters.
10. Inpatients will be able to access medicines from hospitals through STO.
11.  MFDA will trace every imported medicine, and a digital system will be established to allow patients to track the availability and location of medicines through their prescriptions.

The President’s Office said the implementation of these measures, as the President has stated in his presidential address, will ensure that people do not face any hassles or financial hardships while procuring medicines from Aasandha.

The measures come following mounting complaints from the public over difficulties in procuring essential medications required for common health issues. Concerns have also been raised over the fact that some medications previously available under Aasandha, are no longer covered under state health insurance scheme as a result of which the public is faced with paying out of their pockets.

The current administration is undertaking efforts to reform Aasandha scheme which has long remained as a financial burden to the state. Aasandha incurs higher funds every year than the amount allocated for the purpose in the state budget.

As such, the government has implemented price control on 250 medicines issued under Aasandha that was previously sold at a huge profit by businesses.