STO expands registered medicines from 300 to over 1,000 to address shortages: Health Minister

Health Minister Abdullah Nazim Ibrahim has stated that the number of medicines previously registered and imported by the State Trading Organization (STO) was fewer than 300 but that figure has now increased to over 1,000.

In an interview with Mihaaru News on Monday, Minister Nazim explained that the government is working closely with STO to address the ongoing issue of medicine shortages. A key aspect of this effort is expanding the range of medicines imported by the state-owned enterprise.

Although STO handles medicine imports, private entities still retain control over the distribution process.

The medicine shortage issue worsened recently after Aasandha, the national health insurance scheme, reduced price caps for several medications. In response, some private pharmacies stopped importing certain drugs and ceased dispensing available stock through Aasandha, citing financial concerns.

Minister Nazim noted that at the time these problems escalated, STO was importing fewer than 300 types of medicine. In response, STO began seeking additional suppliers and signing new agreements.

“Our target is to ensure that by the end of this year, STO’s supply includes at least 600 items. And along with this, to ensure this process is continued,” Nazim said.

He added that all medicines listed on the “national essential medicines list” are now available for import through STO, with 99 percent of the items already secured.

“There are about ten medicines on the list that may never be needed in the Maldives. Apart from those, all other medicines, meaning the entire “essential medicines list”, can now be imported through STO,” he stated.

The Minister also revealed that efforts are underway to ensure that at least one generic brand for every medicine on the approved national drugs list is available through STO.

While STO originally aimed to import at least 1,400 medicines from the approved list, the company has already stocked even more than that.

“About a thousand medicines have now been added to STO’s inventory, meaning different brands,” Nazim said. “This is part of an ongoing effort. Sustaining this work is key to finding a long-term solution to the issue.”