The Maldives’ Heath Minister Ahmad Naseem said the country’s healthcare system needs to be decentralized in order to function better, Sun news reported. 

Given the geographical disposition of the country, its healthcare sector should be decentralized so that the services could become more accessible to normal people, said Health Minister Ahmad Naseem in an interview with Public Service Media. 

The minister acknowledged the issues and shortcomings the country’s healthcare system has been facing,  which had been brought out more starkly in the pandemic. He said the new government came into power recognizing the people’s concerns and we have plans to address these concerns. 

The minister added the government wants specialized health services to be made available in different regions of the country. To make its plan more effective, Naseem said, his government is also working on developing an affordable public transport system in the country. 

“The Housing Ministry and  Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) are drawing up plans to establish a system which allows for easy travel between islands as we speak,” Naseem was quoted as saying on Sun new. 

Currently, people need to hire private speed boats for travel to islands for healthcare services. The government is planning to introduce specialized boats only for this purpose in the future, the minister said. He added once the new public transport system comes up, it will bring multiple benefits.