The health ministry has declared that pharmacies would only be allowed to charge up to a 100% markup on the retail price of essential medicines beginning in January of next year.
The decision, it stated in a statement on Sunday, was taken in compliance with the Health Services Act, which requires the creation of a Maximum Retail Price (MRP) for prescription pharmaceuticals.
The health ministry stated that as a result, it has established a 100 percent markup restriction on retail prices and would implement the MRP on all necessary medicines imported and sold in the Maldives beginning in January 2022.
In addition, it stated that the MRP would be extended to all medicines imported and sold in the Maldives by the middle of next year, and that it will produce a list of all necessary medicines before January to allow importers, retailers, and the general public to prepare for the shift.
The announcement comes after Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer announced the plan to impose a minimum retail price (MRP) on prescription pharmaceuticals in the Maldives. He stated that the decision was taken to eliminate wastage of public money and to cut spending on Aasandha, the country’s healthcare system, by both the state and citizens.
