Ministry of Health has launched a book called Maldives Health Statistics 2020, which contains important data such as birth and death, the burden of diseases, public health, and human resources in the health sector, as well as a chapter on the COVID-19 situation of Maldives.
At the book launching ceremony, Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem highlighted the importance of collecting data and statistics to inform the government on making decisions such as recruiting more health workers. He said statistics are also important for the health ministry's work in conducting training programmes with the Ministry of Higher Education and universities.
Also at the ceremony, Special Advisor on Social Policy Dr. Mustafa Luthfee said collecting data on the Maldives health sector greatly assists the provision of health services, and noted the current government has allocated a high number of funds for the health sector.
The health ministry stated some of the statistics included in the book shows that 40% of medical professionals working in the Maldives are specialists, 59% of nurses working in the Maldives were locals. Additionally, more than half of births in the Maldives were delivered via cesarean and 35% of admissions were due to non-communicable diseases. Also, the Maldives reported more than 13,000 cases of COVID-19 in 2020.
The ministry stated the findings of the Maldives Health Statistics 2020 will help in evidence-based decision making and to formulate and strengthen policies for the improvement of the health sector. The findings will also assist in outcome-based planning of health programmes and health interventions.