President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, upon the Cabinet's recommendation, has introduced changes to the Aasandha system to prevent financial difficulties and medicine shortages when obtaining medicines through Aasandha.

This decision followed discussions on a paper submitted by the Ministry of Health during last Sunday's Cabinet meeting.

The President has introduced the following provisions:

  1. A mechanism will be established to ensure all prescribed medicines in the country are registered under Aasandha.
  2. Treatment guidelines will be finalised.
  3. Arrangements will be made for doctors to access the dashboard, which is currently under development, to view medicines available through the State Trading Organisation (STO).
  4. Doctors will be informed about these changes (points 3).
  5. All medicines on the approved drug list will be made available in STO pharmacies without interruption.
  6. STO will obtain the necessary permissions to import medicines through foreign hospitals empanelled by Aasandha under Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) policies. As a permanent solution, STO will establish a system to source medicines directly from manufacturers.
  7. The four GP clinics to be established in Malé will ensure uninterrupted access to medicines through the STO pharmacy. Additionally, a system will be implemented in all islands and regional hospitals to ensure medicines are provided solely through Aasandha, with any unavailable medicines on the islands being supplied by STO upon request.
  8. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will have an expanded role in assisting with the importation of medicines from abroad.
  9. The Ministry of Health will address service delivery issues and any concerns referred to them regarding these matters.
  10. Inpatients will be able to access medicines from hospitals through STO.
  11. MFDA will trace every imported medicine, and a digital system will be established to allow patients to track the availability and location of medicines through their prescriptions.

As stated in his Presidential Address, the implementation of these measures will ensure that people do not face any difficulties or financial hardships while procuring medicines from Aasandha.