Asserting that every child must possess the "right to dream" and the opportunity to see those aspirations realised, the Maldives is fundamentally pivoting its healthcare strategy toward a broader and more resilient approach to respiratory care, First Lady Sajidha Mohamed announced Saturday.
The Maldives is prioritising holistic wellbeing alongside emergency treatments, the first lady underscored at a symposium marking World Asthma Day, noting that the condition remains as prevalent in the island nation as it is globally. While medical care continues to expand under the administration of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, she noted that significant strategic initiatives are required to address environmental pollution, a primary catalyst for respiratory conditions.
"We must ensure that every child in our community possesses the right to dream and the opportunity to transform those dreams into reality,” she stated, calling for a cultural shift to eliminate the social stigma that often leads to the incorrect administration of medication.
The urgency of this reform is underscored by the Maldives' global ranking of 99th in asthma prevalence, according to Dr Mohamed Ismail, head of respiratory medicine at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital. Securing appropriate medications remains a primary challenge, as scarcity often delays outpatient treatments until "hospital admission becomes unavoidable", Ismail explained.
To address these systemic hurdles, healthcare professionals are advocating for the international "two-in-one" clinical standard and issuing a collective appeal to elevate public understanding, aligning with this year’s global theme of ensuring access to anti-inflammatory inhalers for everyone with asthma.