Minister says medicine quality not determined by European origin
Nazim said the government’s policy has always been to procure medicines that meet quality standards.
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Health Minister Abdulla Nazim said on Thursday that the quality of medicines is not determined by whether they are manufactured in Europe.
Nazim made the remarks during a press conference at the President's Office, responding to questions about earlier comments by President Mohamed Muizzu on the import of medicines.
The President had previously stated that the government planned to end imports of what he described as “ordinary medicines” and instead obtain medicines directly from manufacturers in Europe and the United States.
Speaking to reporters at Velana International Airport after returning from a visit to China in January 2024, Muizzu said the government intended to import medicines directly from manufacturers in Europe and the United States.
“We will hopefully switch imports of drugs from Europe and the United States to direct manufacturing,” the President said at the time, adding that the transition had already begun.
Responding to questions on Thursday, Nazim said the government’s policy has always been to procure medicines that meet quality standards.
However, he said quality should not be defined solely by whether medicines are produced in Europe.
“Quality medicines are also manufactured in India and Bangladesh. We have standards and rules to ensure quality,” Nazim said.
He added that many medicines supplied to European markets are manufactured in countries such as India, Pakistan and others.
“What matters is the place of manufacture and the standards followed there. The key issue is ensuring that the correct medicine is supplied,” he said.
Nazim said the government is working to strengthen systems to ensure that medicines supplied to the Maldives meet required standards.
“Our focus is not Europe or Asia. Our focus is a system that ensures quality and delivers medicines to the public without compromising standards,” he said.
Muizzu’s earlier comments on sourcing medicines from Europe and the United States came alongside remarks that the Maldives aims to reduce dependence on imports from certain countries.
He said at the time that the country planned to reduce reliance on some suppliers of pharmaceutical products.
Following the announcement, seven medicines described as meeting European standards were imported in July and began being sold through State Trading Organisation.
