Family doctors will be introduced within 100 days: Health Minister

Minister of Health and Gender Dr Mariyam Shakeela has announced that the government will establish a system and assign family doctors that the families can easily approach for medical services.

The Health Minister made the announcement while speaking at an event in the National Art Gallery last night to announce the 100-day road map of the new administration.

Describing the current situation, she said that some small islands with small populations do not have the basic healthcare facilities and their status are worse than the general healthcare standards. She noted it is difficult to attract foreign specialist doctors because Maldives currently offers low wages.

Dr Shakeela said that the government will solve shortage of specialist doctors, facilitate better treatment for cancer and kidney related diseases and introduce the family doctor system, within its first 100 days.

“Specialist services will be facilitated. Kidney and cancer diseases can be treated without leaving the islands and means to provide health advice and tests will be facilitated. To ease the space constraints in IGMH (Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital), Vilimale’ health center will be upgraded to a hospital and the regional hospitals will be enhanced,” Minister said.

She said the government will increase salaries and provide further opportunities to attract locals to take up employment in the health sector.

The Health Minister also that the government will begin special programs to address the rampant child abuse and ever increasing divorce rate in the country.

Additionally, the Minister noted that the cabinet’s Social Council has decided to change OPD services to be available in two shifts, where doctors will work for at least 4 hours on each shift.

She noted that the council has also decided to introduce a compulsory stint for nurses and medical doctors trained under government scholarships, who will have to serve one year in any health center assigned by the Ministry.

Dr Shakeela said that the government will soon allow private parties to provide the universal health care scheme Aasandha.