State Trading Organisation (STO) has signed an agreement with AstraZeneca to facilitate the import of medicines to the Maldives.
The ceremony held at Kurumba Maldives was attended by Minister of State for Health Ahmed Adil, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director of STO Abdulla Saeed, as well as, Business Manager at AstraZeneca Abhishek Kaushik and several eminent figures from the healthcare community.
The collaboration with AstraZeneca seeks to boost the Maldivian government’s ongoing initiatives, ensuring that essential medications for chronic diseases are both cost-effectively imported and continuously available. The strategic alignment with a premier entity like AstraZeneca undoubtedly enhances public trust in the quality of medicines sourced by STO.
Under the agreement with AstraZeneca, Aasandha Company Limited has officially listed 14 of the pharmaceutical company's medications. It encompass treatments for conditions such as cancer, gastric ailments, and diabetes. STO aims to streamline the distribution of top-notch pharmaceutical and healthcare products, establishing a direct link between manufacturers and end-users, bypassing any intermediaries. STO also stated that the import of medicines and healthcare items will broaden the array of high-quality options available to healthcare professionals for prescribing, ultimately expediting access to effective treatments and hastening their recovery.
STO has recently signed agreements with 26 companies for the direct importation of pharmaceuticals and healthcare products.