The government has signed an agreement with UNDP to import good quality medicines through bulk procurement.
According to Finance Ministry, the agreement with UNDP on the bulk procurement of medicine to the Maldives through UNDP’s global health procurement services would allow bringing high-quality medicine at lower costs.
The agreement was signed by Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer on behalf of the government. Enrico Gaveglia, Resident Representative to Maldives, signed on behalf of UNDP.
Under the agreement, STO will be supplied with good quality medicines through UNDP and the quality control of the medicines will be carried out by the quality assurance team of the Global Health Procurement Center in Copenhagen.
A special steering committee has also been formed to monitor the quality of the drug. The committee includes the Food and Drug Authority (MFDA).
The government believes that the agreement will address some of the challenges currently facing the health sector.
This will facilitate the timely delivery of medicines and alleviate the difficulties in obtaining medicines and will strengthen the procurement system in the health sector, the Ministry of Finance said.
The government decided to implement bulk procurement of medicines as the costs of Aasandha have increased. One of the reasons for this is the difficulty of maintaining the price of medicines.
The increase in the cost of Aasandha due to differences in prices of medicines will be controlled with the implementation of this agreement.
