First Lady Sajidha Mohamed urged the recalibration of national healthcare models to embody greater compassion, embrace innovation, and reflect the shifting needs of the population. She issued the call during her address as guest of honour at the inauguration of 'Hinithun 2025', the Maldives' first international dental conference.
The conference is being held fifty years after the nation first introduced dental treatment services in 1975. Hosted at the Villa Nautica Resort, the three-day event convenes professionals and stakeholders to reconsider national strategies in oral healthcare.
Noting the continued marginalisation of dental and oral health despite growing awareness, the First Lady drew attention to increasing rates of untreated tooth decay, gum disease, and oral cancers. She highlighted the need for strengthened policies and infrastructure to address these concerns and enhance overall well-being.
She highlighted that oral health must be recognised as an essential component of holistic health, with preventive care, public awareness initiatives, and accessible services forming the backbone of reform. Delegates were encouraged to use the conference as a strategic platform to cultivate partnerships and embed dental care more firmly within the national healthcare framework.
The First Lady acknowledged notable advancements in the availability of orthodontic and periodontal services across both public hospitals and private clinics. These developments, the First Lady noted, resulted from support provided by expert professionals in partner countries. At the same time, she identified significant gaps in public engagement, particularly in education and outreach.
She recommended sustained efforts in schools, workplaces, and media spaces to raise awareness of dental health's broader implications, including its relationship with psychological wellness. Her closing remarks included a call for high-quality dental services to be affordable and accessible to all Maldivians, and she extended formal appreciation to Mohamed Saleem, Ali Saleem, and Abdulla Saeed for their foundational contributions to the country's dental sector.
The conference, organised by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), drew 78 participants representing both public institutions and private practices. Among the attendees were Health Minister Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, Ibrahim Abdul Razzaq Haleem, Chief Executive of the Malé Group of Hospitals, and representatives from Dharumavantha, Vilimalé and Hulhumalé Hospitals.
During the opening ceremony, Haleem reported measurable improvements across the Malé Group's network in dental infrastructure and staffing over the past year and a half, with further initiatives under way to align services with global standards. He noted that the inclusion of experts from related medical fields was part of a broader commitment to integrated care delivery.
Providing insight into the conference's strategic goals, Dr Nadheema Rasheed, Chairperson and Head of Dentistry and Orofacial Surgery at IGMH, stated that the event aimed to reinforce collaboration across the profession while preparing practitioners to navigate technological advancements and dynamic healthcare environments. The programme included keynote addresses from 12 international experts, alongside skill-building workshops and panel discussions designed to support early-career professionals.