Thalassemia patients have begun expressing concern over the shortage of essential medications, describing the ongoing scarcity as a burden on their lives.
Abdulla Shaneez, a thalassemia patient, told Adhadhu that essential medications have been unavailable for a "very long time." He noted that while patients previously received a month's supply of medicine, they are now only issued enough for two weeks. Shaneez added that the situation has worsened since the establishment of the new state-owned pharmaceutical company, State Pharma.
"People are talking in waiting rooms and over coffee about how even basic Panadol is unavailable. But the reality is far more serious than just talk. Thalassemia patients have remained like this for about six months, giving State Pharma time to resolve these issues, since it is a newly formed entity," Shaneez said.
"However, they are only bringing in small batches—perhaps 500 or 200 tablets at a time. The limited supply they provide only lasts two weeks, whereas we used to get a month's worth. If it’s available one week, it’s gone the next. They just tell us it might be available the following week."
Shameez explained that thalassemia symptoms can worsen as patients age, requiring various specialised treatments. He expressed grave concern that these necessary medications are also frequently out of stock.
Furthermore, he highlighted that the lack of daily essential medicine forces patients to interrupt their treatment cycles while waiting indefinitely for new shipments to arrive.
Shaneez pointed out that the medicine shortage is not limited to thalassemia patients. He noted that a large number of people, including those suffering from cancer and mental health conditions, are also struggling to access vital prescriptions.
President Mohamed Muizzu admitted last September, midway through his current term, that the government has yet to resolve the nationwide medicine shortage.
The scarcity of medicine in the Maldives has reached unprecedented levels during Muizzu’s administration. The crisis began following a roadmap to distance the country from India, announced after the President’s visit to China early in his term. Muizzu had expressed a desire to cease the importation of pharmaceuticals from India.
As the shortage intensified, the President claimed the issue was being caused by pharmaceutical traders intentionally withholding imports to create difficulties.
In an attempt to address the crisis, the government established a state-owned pharmaceutical company, State Pharma, on September 9, 2025. However, more than a year has passed since the initiative began, and the shortages persist.
