First Lady Fazna Ahmed has stated that leadership plays a key role in maintaining high standards and effecting change.

She said this in her remarks at the closing ceremony of the International Joint Conference for Healthcare Professionals (IJCHP).

Expressing hope that the knowledge shared at the conference will pave the path for improvements in care experiences and outcomes, the first lady urged medical professionals in attendance to adapt their approaches as needed, based on the evidence available, to make sure they are doing their “absolute best” in “every” situation.

With this being said, she noted how leadership plays a key role in maintaining high standards and effecting change.

Fazna also shared her views as an educator, regarding benefits of shared decision-making.

The first lady pushed professionals and policy makers to recognize the potential to manage current challenges in a bid to shape the future.

Further speaking at the event, the first lady applauded the contributions of Dr. Fathimath Shifaza to the nursing community in the Maldives, even after migrating to another country.

As such, she urged others see Dr. Shifaza as an example of how people can “influence” and lead “change” in the community despite no longer residing in Maldives.

The ceremony saw First Lady Fazna conferring certificates to the participants who presented papers at the conference.

Themed around “moving from Silos to Synergy”, the three-day conference was organized by the Maldivian Nurses Association (MNA) in association with the Evidence-Based Practice Health Champions Maldives.

Held from July 18 – 20 in Bandos Island, the conference carried the purpose of providing a platform to exchange ideas and discover best practices in healthcare.