Minister of Health Minister Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim has stated that the current administration is actively working to improve the situation of Thalaessemia patients in the Maldives through the introduction of targeted policies. The Minister made the statement while speaking at a ceremony held Sunday to officially inaugurate the newly relocated Maldives Blood Service and Thalassemia Centre at Orange Hiyaa in Hulhumale’.
The Minister said since thalassemia was first recognised as disease in the Maldives, patients have faced significant difficulties in accessing adequate treatment. While past governments have successfully implemented various policies to address these challenges, the present government has taken a more decisive approach, he said.
The Minister said that although previous governments have attempted to expand the services of Maldives Blood Service, it was only under President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s leadership that concrete steps were taken in recent years. He said the current administration took the initiative and provided clear directives to ensure institutional accountability, which can best be described as a success in improving thalassaemia-related services.
“All recent efforts to treat and manage the disease as part of a government’s main policy or manifesto have only been seen under the current administration,” the Health Minister said.
The Health Minister acknowledged that although many successes have been achieved, there are still much to accomplish in the field of thalassaemia treatment.
The Minister further noted that Maldives Blood Service had operated in its former premises in Male’ for the past 30 years. He said its relocation to Orange Hiyaa was a special directive from the President carried out with the assistance of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF). The Minister thanked the army, government institutions, Maldives Blood Service employees and thalassemia families for their assistance in facilitating the transition and strengthening services.