MFDA fails to conduct adequate oversight during pharmacy registration; no mechanism exists to control medicine prices: Aasandha
Managing Director of Aasandha Company, Aminath Zeeniya, has highlighted significant challenges in the pharmaceutical sector, stating that pharmacies are being registered and licensed without adequate oversight and that the availability of essential medicines remains unverified. Describing the shortage of medicine as a national crisis, she noted the absence of a system to track imported quantities and the failure to control pharmaceutical pricing. Furthermore, Zeeniya pointed out that many items on the approved drug list are not being imported and acknowledged growing public concern regarding the quality of available medication.
The Parliament's Committee on State Owned Enterprises has met with relevant authorities to clarify issues surrounding the procurement of unavailable medicines from abroad. | Majilis
Aminath Zeeniya, the Managing Director of Aasandha Company, has stated that there are noticeable lapses in the vetting process during the registration of pharmacies.
He made these remarks while speaking at the Parliament’s State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Committee. The committee had summoned officials from Aasandha and other relevant authorities on Tuesday regarding an issue submitted by the MDP Member for North Galolhu, Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudoo), concerning the difficulties faced by the public in procuring medicine from abroad.
Speaking at the committee meeting, Zeeniya acknowledged that the shortage of medicine is a significant issue and conceded that it has become a national concern.
Furthermore, she noted that the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) fails to conduct adequate assessments when issuing import licenses to pharmacies. She highlighted that even at the point of registration, there is no verification of whether a pharmacy stocks essential medicines. Zeeniya emphasized that these regulatory oversights lead to significant challenges.
The current registration process for pharmacies lacks rigorous oversight. For instance, there is an Essential Medicines List—a mandatory inventory of drugs that every pharmacy is required to stock. However, during the registration phase, there are no checks to verify whether a pharmacy actually carries all the medications on this list. Consequently, when these pharmacies approach us for empanelment after being registered, any attempt on our part to enforce these standards is met with significant challenges, as the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) has already granted them a license to sell medicine.Aminath Zeeniya, Managing Director of Aasandha Company
Zeeniya further noted that the approved drug list includes numerous medications that are not currently being imported into the Maldives. She also highlighted the lack of an adequate system to monitor and verify instances where these medications remain unavailable in the market.
There is currently no mechanism in place to monitor or verify the process. We lack nationwide data on the total volume of medicine being imported, and there is no established system to track or record the specific quantities of pharmaceuticals entering the country. — Aminath Zeeniya, Managing Director of Aasandha Company.
Furthermore, Zeeniya stated that there is currently no national-level system in place to control the prices of medicine. She highlighted this as a significant challenge.
Zeeniya stated that while Aasandha has taken measures to address these issues, significant complaints persist regarding the availability of medication and the presence of low-quality pharmaceuticals in the market.
