To combat the ongoing issue of antibiotic resistance, the entire range of antibiotics must be made available within the country, and efforts to secure this comprehensive inventory have now commenced, Dr Shah Mahir, the managing director of the State Pharmaceutical and Medical Supply Corporation Limited, stated during an appearance on PSM News’s 'Raajje Miadhu' programme.
The corporation prioritises the uninterrupted availability of approximately 1,200 essential medicines. Upon achieving this stabilisation, officials intend to refine the drug list by identifying medications most frequently prescribed by physicians, Shah noted. Antibiotic resistance represents a significant global crisis, compelling the nation to secure access to every class of antibiotic, he observed.
"Antibiotics can only be managed in accordance with the requisite standards if, after a first-line antibiotic is administered and fails to function or encounters resistance, a second-line option is then pursued," Shah explained. "By maintaining the entire range within our stock to some degree, the necessary antibiotics can be made accessible. As a consequence of this, recovery from illness will be expedited. Resistance within the Maldives will be diminished."
Addressing supply chain deficiencies, the corporation has initiated consultations with physicians at island health centres to determine local requirements. Stocking these commonly utilised treatments locally will ensure availability while minimising waste, he asserted. The ultimate objective remains ensuring that every medication prescribed is reliably accessible through hospital pharmacies, he concluded.