Union flags serious fallout after key health roles abruptly reclassified as ‘non-professional’

The Maldives Health Professionals Union (MHPU) has expressed concern over changes made to the occupation categorization list for expatriate workers published by the Ministry of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology.

In a post on X, the union said the revised list has reclassified many qualified healthcare professionals, including certain sub-specialty doctors, laboratory technologists and medical imaging technicians, from the “Professional” category to the “Non-Professional” category.

The union said the change removes key benefits previously available to expatriate healthcare workers, including the ability to obtain dependent visas for their families and access higher remittance limits.

MHPU noted that many expatriate healthcare workers have lived in Maldives for years with their spouses and children, who attend local schools. The inability to renew dependent visas is now forcing families to separate, causing significant disruption to their lives and wellbeing.

The revised Expat System Occupation Categorization List published by the Ministry of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology has reclassified many healthcare professionals—including some sub-specialty doctors, laboratory technologists, medical imaging technicians, etc —from… pic.twitter.com/3ZtWkzWFxm

— Maldives Health Professionals Union (MHPU) (@MaldivesHPU) August 28, 2026

The union warned that the reclassification could pose a major challenge to the country’s health system, which remains heavily dependent on expatriate professionals for essential services.

MHPU called on the Ministry of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology to urgently revisit the categorization and classify healthcare workers based on their education, skills and responsibilities.

The union also urged the Ministry of Health to take immediate action by coordinating with relevant authorities to ensure healthcare workers are not unfairly affected by the change.