Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef says a dedicated hospital for Thalassemia will significantly improve the healthcare services for those enduring the disease.
He said this at the launch of the Thalassemia Prevention and Control Master Plan for the next ten years at Crossroads Maldives.
At the ceremony, the Vice President highlighted due to the country’s geographical dispersion of islands, transportation and commuting are challenging, and people must travel to distant places to diagnose diseases.
As such, even if something happens, given the financial situation, the people living in remote islands endure a lot of hardship. He said the Government is arranging for the facility to be conducted in their homelands to end this.
The Vice President said that the problem of unexplained infant deaths suffered by some families in the past has now been identified in the light of science, and the measures to be taken to prevent the diseases have been revealed. He added that Maldives has been working for many years to raise awareness about the importance of family planning to include thalassemia testing.
The Vice President’s speech highlighted the Government's unwavering commitment to assisting children suffering from thalassemia. He emphasized that one of the top priorities of President Dr Muizzu’s Administration, despite the challenges in the system, is to provide the necessary treatment and assistance to these children and has placed great emphasis on making significant progress.
He noted that the Government had started covering bone marrow treatment expenses for children suffering from thalassemia, and aims to provide opportunities for more children.
He went on to say that the medicines and consumables needed for thalassemia children are also available in remote areas of the country. Vice President also highlighted that one of the most essential things President Dr Muizzu was talking about even before he came to power was the negligence of the then Government in the health system.
