Shimad Ibrahim, CEO and Managing Director of State Trading Organisation (STO), has revealed that STO imports only 30 percent of the total medicines brought into the Maldives.

Speaking before a parliamentary standing committee on Monday, Shimad addressed public concerns over the unavailability of essential medicines, including those covered by the Aasandha health scheme. He explained that under current regulations, once a supplier registers a specific medicine with the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA), only that supplier is allowed to import it.

Shimad said this single-supplier policy, along with challenges on the supplier side, has resulted in frequent shortages, even when drugs are listed as approved and prescribed by doctors.

To address this, STO is now working with doctors to prescribe generic medicines instead of brand names. Shimad added that STO is aiming to register 680 generic medicines by February next year to improve availability across the country.