Measures being taken by the government to plug the shortage of prescription medicine in the country are gradually starting to pay off, Minister of Health, Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim has said.
The government has recognised that expenditures on pharmaceuticals constitute one of the largest and most wasteful costs within the healthcare system. The national insurance system, managed by Aasandha Company Limited, reports that over half of its expenses are related to the importation of medicines, a figure that continues to rise annually.
In response, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has mandated measures to prevent the sale of imported medicines at exorbitant profits.
The government has also tasked State Trading Organisation (STO), the largest wholesaler of pharmaceuticals in the country, to expand its supply to all prescription drugs on the national list of essential medicines.
However, the clampdown on the pharmaceutical industry has been met with several drawbacks including the shortage of medicine and unavailability of some healthcare services.
In response , the government has initiated several countermeasures, Minister Nazim said, which is now starting to pay off.
According to the Minister, the government is continuing to monitor the developments closely and would step in to iron out any issues.
"Through the efforts of this Administration, we will provide much needed relief to the concerns over the availability of quality medicine. That is because we can see the big picture as we move along with these measures,” he explained.
Minister Nazim said the effort to streamline pharmaceutical supply through STO will ensure the strengthening of governance and human resource capacity of the State-owned firm.