President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announces the administration's plans to reestablish primary healthcare services next year. He made the announcement while speaking at the ceremony held to mark the inauguration of initiatives to control Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs).
At the ceremony, the President revealed the findings of the "STEPS Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factors Survey 2020-2021," carried out by the Maldives National University (MNU) in collaboration with the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Citing the findings, the President expressed alarm over the prevalence of NCDs caused by unhealthy habits and lifestyles, which he said require urgent public health action and cannot be left unchecked. Stressing the high mortality rate of 84 percent due to NCDs, the President underscored malignant neoplasms, cerebrovascular diseases, pulmonary diseases, and nephrology as several leading causes.
On the plans to reestablish primary healthcare services, the President stated that one of the main aims was to increase public awareness about NCDs, promote early testing, and ensure access to medicine and proper treatment. He also noted that the "National Cessation Toolkit" had been introduced to assist smokers in quitting and is available across all healthcare centers.
