MFDA mandates pharmacies to ensure availability of 80 percent of classified medicines

The Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) has mandated that pharmacies must ensure the availability of 80 percent of essential medicines within six months. Under the new directive, the list of mandatory essential medicines has been categorized into two grades, with pharmacies required to stock the specified medications according to their respective classifications starting today.

In an official announcement, MFDA emphasized its responsibility to ensure the uninterrupted availability of essential medicines within the national healthcare system. The Authority stated that it has reviewed and updated the mandatory list of essential medicines required to be stocked in pharmacies. Under the revised guidelines, pharmacies are categorized into two grades and are required to ensure that at least 80 percent of the medicines specified for their respective grade are consistently available to the public.

The MFDA has announced that the specific classifications for pharmacies are detailed in the "Guideline on Minimal Requirement of Essential Medicines in Pharmacy." The authority further stated that this guideline is available on the official websites of the MFDA and the Ministry of Health, as well as through the publications section of the Dhirithi portal.

Under these changes, existing pharmacies must ensure that all medicines required for their respective grades are made available within six months from today. Furthermore, newly established pharmacies will only be granted a license to sell medicine after registration once they have stocked the full range of medications mandated for their specific category.

The Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) stated in its announcement.

The authority stated that further details regarding this matter can be obtained by contacting the Maldives Food and Drug Authority’s Medicine and Therapeutic Goods hotline at 7200321.

The MFDA has mandated that pharmacies categorize their essential medicine stocks into two grades and ensure that 80 percent of the required medication for each grade is available within six months. Despite this directive, public complaints regarding medicine shortages are on the rise. Many patients have specifically noted that medications previously available at STO pharmacies are now increasingly difficult to find.