As part of government’s ongoing austerity measures to reduce state expenditure, Aasandha Company announced it is currently revising the baseline price on retail medications.
The company’s Managing Director Ms. Aminath Zeeniya affirms of ongoing work on the matter in support a of World Health Organization’s (WHO) consultant. She confirms meeting relevant bodies prior to initiating the revision plan, for discussions.
Pharmacies sell medications based on the guidelines of Aasandha. The authority dictates the common prices on medications based on pharmacies cannot sell in breach of it.
The first price revisions were made in 2019, which had saved close to MVR19 million from state budget related to procurement of a medication titled “Juventa.”
State announced an annual budget of MVR730 million on procurement of medication along with Aasandha health insurance scheme. However, state’s budget on medication procurement has already been expended – it reportedly spends MVR800 million per annum on medications.
On the other hand, state is attempting to fix the maximum retail price (MRP) on medications. This would restrict pharmacies from selling medicine at unreasonable prices.