Govt to opt for bulk procurement of essential medicine
With the ban on the cough syrup in Maldives, the MFDA has begun to be more vigilant and analyse the safety of the drugs already in Maldivian markets.
By
Shahudha Mohamed
The government has decided to buy essential medicines in bulk as part of its policies to ensure that the medicines available in Maldives are of good quality.
The policies for improving the quality of medicines were determined by the President based on the recommendations of the Ministers after discussing the paper presented by the Ministry of Health at the Cabinet meeting held at the President's Office on Sunday.
It has been decided to expand the 'bulk procurement system' for the purchase of basic drugs. And within this system:
-
STO, which is entrusted with the continuous supply of essential medicines, will make arrangements for the availability of medicines from all hospitals and health centers
-
Such essential medicines will be available in pharmacies in all islands
-
Drug storage warehouses will be established to meet the prescribed standards and a system will be established to centrally monitor such warehouses with the help of modern technology
In addition, the President has decided to strengthen the analysis required to determine the amount of various ingredients used in the manufacture of a medicine, increase capacity and develop human resources to ensure the quality of medicines.
Recently, the quality of some of the medicines available in the country has deteriorated and some of them containing harmful ingredients have flagged by authorities.
Cough medicines used for children have also been found to contain toxic substances. With the ban on the drugs in Maldives, the MFDA has begun to be more vigilant and analyze the safety of the drugs available in Maldivian markets.
The import, sale and use of panadol, a commonly used drug, has recently been banned in Maldives following plastic contamination.
In order to improve the quality of medicines, the President has said that he is working to stop importing medicines from India alone and begin importing medicines directly from Europe.
