- StatePharma aims to reduce the 10-20% of medicines discarded after expiring through improved forecasting and advance ordering.
- Centralising medicine imports could regulate prices, cut Aasandha spending, and reduce reliance on external suppliers.
- Medicines account for around 30% of the health budget, and StatePharma seeks to resolve long-standing shortages.
Better forecasting of medicine requirements could reduce the amount of expired medicines discarded in the Maldives, State Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supply Corporation (StatePharma) Managing Director Dr Shah Mahir has said.
Speaking on Dhivehiraajjeyge Adu’s Ahaashey Bunaan programme, Shah said identifying the medicines required in the Maldives and ordering them in advance would allow suppliers to provide medicines with longer shelf lives.
He said medicines with expiry periods of one to two years could be procured ahead of time based on projected demand, reducing the quantity that expires before use.
Shah said between 10 and 20 percent of medicines are currently discarded after expiring in the Maldives. He said closer monitoring of medicine stocks and improved forecasting could reduce this proportion.
He also highlighted the importance of working closely with healthcare providers to maintain adequate stocks of essential medicines and prevent shortages.
The government established StatePharma to manage the importation of medicines into the Maldives. The corporation has also taken over 193 pharmacies previously operated by the State Trading Organisation (STO), with medicine imports now being handled by the new state-owned company.
According to Shah, centralising medicine imports through a dedicated state company could also help regulate medicine prices and reduce reliance on other parties for supplies.
He said the arrangement could also reduce expenditure under Aasandha, noting that medicines account for around 30 percent of the Maldives’ total health sector budget.
Shah described this level of medicine expenditure as significant for a country of the Maldives’ size and said the new system could help address the long-standing issue of medicine availability.
He said while the health sector has developed in several areas, medicine shortages have remained unresolved for years, making the establishment of StatePharma an important step towards improving the availability and management of medicines.
