President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has approved his cabinet’s recommendation to form a separate institution under the name Maldives Health Services. The decision was made after the cabinet deliberated on a paper submitted by the Ministry of Health.
The Maldives Health Services would be tasked with improving primary healthcare, catering to the country’s public health requirements under a decentralised setup, developing human resources, and training technical staff in the health sector.
The government has been working to develop the country’s health sector by expanding services and treatment in the atolls in order to alleviate the burden on health services in the Greater Male’ Region. As such, the government has been developing regional hospitals and introducing previously unavailable treatment and health services in the atolls.
Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem has said that the government is preparing to revitalise the primary healthcare system with improvements and is working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to survey and collect data on the causes of various illnesses and diseases such as cancer in the Maldives, in order to increase public awareness on health risks and make Maldivians more healthy and resilient.
Primary healthcare, which promotes the maintenance of good health, was previously prioritised in the Maldives but fundamental changes in lifestyle and developments in the healthcare system have resulted in curative healthcare or treating patients after they fall ill, being promoted in the country.