State Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supply Corporation (StatePharma) is working to make the full range of antibiotics available in the Maldives in efforts to address antibiotic resistance and strengthen the country's medicine supply.

Speaking on a State media programme, StatePharma Managing Director Dr Shah Mahir said ensuring uninterrupted access to around 1,200 essential medicines remains the corporation's top priority. He said work is also underway to review and expand the approved medicines list to better meet the country's healthcare needs.

Dr Shah said antibiotic resistance is one of the world's biggest public health challenges and stressed the importance of making the full range of antibiotics available so patients can receive the most appropriate treatment when first-line medicines are ineffective.

He said the initiative is being carried out in collaboration with stakeholders across the health sector to ensure different classes of antibiotics are available when needed, helping to improve treatment outcomes and reduce the development of antibiotic resistance.

As part of efforts to improve medicine availability, StatePharma has also begun consulting health centres and hospitals to identify medicines required by individual island communities. Dr Shah said this would allow medicines to be stocked according to local demand, reducing shortages and minimising wastage.

He added that StatePharma's goal is to ensure every medicine prescribed by doctors is available through hospital pharmacies.