"I acknowledge that the public is facing a shortage of medicine; this is a national issue."
The Aasandha Company informed a parliamentary committee that persistent medicine shortages in the Maldives are driven by systemic challenges in the importation and distribution processes. Despite significant expenditure, public access to essential medication remains hindered by the lack of a robust inventory tracking system and complications in pharmacy registration. Relevant authorities emphasized that this must be treated as a national priority, requiring urgent and coordinated efforts to implement a sustainable solution.
During a meeting of the SOE Committee, Aminath Zeeniya, the Managing Director of Aasandha Company, stated that the shortage of medicine has become a national issue. | People's Majlis
The Managing Director of Aasandha Company, Aminath Zeeniya, acknowledged today that the public is facing difficulties in accessing essential medication, describing the shortage as a national crisis.
Relevant authorities have been summoned to the Parliament’s State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Committee regarding an issue submitted by Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudoo), the MDP Member of Parliament for the North Galolhu constituency, concerning the difficulties faced by the public in importing medicine from abroad.
During Tuesday's committee meeting, which included representatives from Aasandha, the company’s Managing Director, Zeeniya, highlighted significant challenges within the current system for importing and distributing pharmaceuticals.
Zeeniya acknowledged that despite the significant expenditure on providing medication to the public, people are still unable to access the medicine they need, describing the situation as a national issue.
I acknowledge that there are still people who are unable to access necessary medication. We continue to receive these complaints. Even now, when individuals present a prescription, they are often unable to obtain the medicine through the scheme. Despite the significant costs being incurred, there remain persistent challenges in ensuring that these medications are available under the current system.Aminath Zeeniya, Managing Director of Aasandha Company
During the committee meeting, Zeeniya shared further details regarding various other challenges. In this regard, she highlighted issues encountered in the registration of pharmacies and the numerous subsequent problems arising from these complications.
Zeeniya highlighted that the lack of a robust system to monitor medicine stocks is a serious issue that requires urgent attention. She noted that despite over 3,000 types of medicine being available under the Aasandha scheme and significant expenditure being incurred, the continued unavailability of medication remains a major concern. She further emphasized that addressing this issue must be treated as a matter of special priority.
In addition to Zeeniya, Dr. Shah Mahir, the Managing Director of the state-owned pharmaceutical company, emphasized during the meeting that the unavailability of essential medicines in the Maldives must be treated as a national priority requiring an urgent solution.
