MVR 140m spent annually for diabetes medicines: Asandha
9% of the country's population is suffering from diabetes, classified as type-1 and type-2.
By
Shahudha Mohamed
Asandha company on Monday told the parliament that it spends MVR 100-140 million annually to procure medicines for the treatment of diabetes.
In a meeting held on Monday afternoon to question Asandha company by the parliament's social committee on the problems being faced by people suffering from diabetes and the Diabetic Society of Maldives, the company responded to questions raised by members regarding the provision of medical supplies.
Replying to a question on the difficulties in getting medicines, Asandha Managing Director Ismail Azzam Waheed said:
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There is no indication of difficulty in getting any medication; meeting and sharing it with the diabetic society in case of any such incident would facilitate access
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Diabetes-related issues are among the areas where Asandha's budget spends the most on medicines
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Maldives has the highest quality medicines available in the world
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One of these drugs alone costs MVR 70 million annually
When asked about the difficulties in getting machines to test people with Type-1 diabetes, Azzam said that anyone can use a machine themselves.
"But there are situations where a machine cannot be used by some patients. If they have reached that stage, they are being provided assistance," Azzam said.
"There is no restriction on that. Help will be available at request."
If anyone is facing problems in any medical-related matter, they should file a complaint with the portal run by Aasandha and NSPA, he said. Once a complaint is filed on the portal, we will coordinate with NSPA to resolve the issue at the earliest, he said.
At least 9% of the country's population suffers from diabetes:
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Type-1: Genetically transferred, and commonly diagnosed in early childhood
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Type-2: Develops over years due to lifestyle and habits
