President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, upon the Cabinet’s recommendation, introduced changes to the system to prevent financial difficulties and medicine shortages in obtaining medicines through Aasandha.
This decision followed discussions on a paper submitted by the Ministry of Health during Sunday's Cabinet meeting.
The President has introduced the following provisions:
- A mechanism will be established to ensure all prescribed medicines in the country are registered under Aasandha.
- Finalize the treatment guidelines.
- Arrangements will be made for doctors to access the dashboard currently under development to view medicines available through the State Trading Organisation (STO).
- Doctors will be informed about these changes (points 3).
- All medicines on the approved drug list will be made available in STO pharmacies without interruption.
- STO will obtain permission to import medicines through foreign hospitals impaneled 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.
- 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.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will have an expanded role in assisting with the importation of medicines from abroad.
- The Ministry of Health will address service delivery issues and any concerns referred to them regarding these matters.
- Inpatients will be able to access medicines from hospitals through STO.
- 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 stated that the implementation of these measures will ensure that people do not face any hassles or financial hardships while procuring medicines from Aasandha.
