The State Pharmaceutical Company Limited has announced that a major improvement in medicine management is expected by October this year following the introduction of a digital system to monitor medicine stocks across all government pharmacies.
The announcement was made during a meeting of Parliament’s State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Committee, where relevant authorities were summoned to discuss challenges related to the sustainable supply of essential medicines in the Maldives.
During the committee meeting, stakeholders outlined several major issues currently affecting the availability and management of medicines. One of the key concerns raised by all parties was the absence of a centralised system to track medicine inventory nationwide.
While the State Trading Organisation (STO) currently monitors stock levels within its own pharmacies, the information is not accessible to doctors prescribing medication.
In addition, Aasandha Company Limited stated that there is currently no real-time system to view medicine stocks available at pharmacies operating under the national health insurance scheme.
Addressing the committee, Managing Director of the State Pharmaceutical Company, Dr Shah Mahir, outlined efforts currently underway to address the issue. He stated that once all STO pharmacies are transferred under the State Pharmaceutical Company by July, work will begin on establishing a nationwide digital tracking system.
“I am very confident that this work will ensure stock visibility. We will create and provide a portal for the public as well, allowing them to check which pharmacies have the required medicine available,” Dr Shah said.
Speaking to PSM News, Dr Shah further explained that the core development work on the digital system will begin in July following the administrative transfer of pharmacies. He added that the project is expected to be completed by October and would bring a significant improvement for the public.
Dr Shah also assured that in future, if a required medicine is unavailable at a local pharmacy, efforts would be made to source it from other pharmacies, islands, or even from abroad to ensure patients receive the treatment they need.