Aasandha has introduced a verification step where the pharmacist has to enter an OTP that is sent to the customer's phone before issuing the medication as per prescription.
A number of pharmacies in Male' has already started using this method.
Information including phone number and ID card number of the customer is sought before sending the OTP. The prescription is filled only once the OTP has been received and entered into the system.
Aasandha Media Official Ashiya Solih stated that this arrangement was made in response to multiple complaints from the public.
Ashiya said that people have raised concerns about consulting doctors in clinics and then opting to fill the prescription elsewhere, only to be told that the medicines have already been issued at the clinic's in-house pharmacy.
To date, pharmacies have not required any information besides the relevant prescription to issue medicines.
Ashiya shared that the verification process has currently been implemented in some pharmacies, and will be rolled out to all pharmacies covered under Aasandha in the near future.
According to statistics publicized by the Health Ministry, 400 pharmacies have been granted the Aasandha permit by the end of 2020. It is, however, not clear how many of these are currently accepting Aasandha coverage.
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