STO sells bulk-procured 7 European quality medicines

The first shipment of European quality medicines to be brought in collaboration with UNDP under the bulk procurement rule will be available at State Trading Organisation (STO) pharmacies from Monday onwards.

The Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, NSPA, Aasandha, STO and MFDA on Monday issued a joint statement on the implementation of the bulk procurement policy, and said that they can now ensure the availability of all medicines.

The government, in collaboration with UNDP, will bulk procure quality, safe medicine through STO.

Under the project, the drugs are imported directly through the drug manufacturer. It will ensure safety from the drug manufacturing to the patient receiving the drug.

The government authorities stated in a joint announcement that the policy will continue to approve drugs registered with the WHO List or Stringent Regulatory Authority, provided they meet UNDP and MFDA standards.

"As a result, only medicines approved by the health authorities of European countries will be brought into Maldives under this policy”, the statement said.

The policy will be implemented in two phases:

The government said that with the implementation of the policy, Maldives will have access to quality medicines in a sustainable manner. As before, the drugs will get full coverage from Aasandha and the price of the drugs will be controlled.

The policies to improve the quality of medicines were introduced by President Mohammed Muizzu last February.

The government has decided to expand the bulk procurement system by procuring basic medicines in bulk and setting up warehouses for storing medicines that meet prescribed standards and a system to centrally monitor these warehouses with the help of modern technology.

Recently, the quality of some of the medicines available in the country has deteriorated and some of them containing harmful ingredients have also come to the notice of the authorities.

Cough medicines used for children have also been found to contain toxic substances. With the ban on such drugs in Maldives, the MFDA has begun to be more vigilant and analyse the safety of the drugs in Maldives.

The import, sale and use of panadol, a commonly used drug, was also banned in Maldives due to questionable safety issues.

In order to improve the quality of medicines, the President has said that he is working to stop importing medicines from India alone and importing medicines directly from Europe.