Minister of Health Abdulla Ameen has stated that the key to preventing disease and prolonging life is public health, however, current society has neglected public health.
While speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the National Conference on Revitalising Public Health, the minister stated the common diseases seen in the Maldives are globally recognized as life-threatening epidemics.
As such, he highlighted that the treatment for non-contagious diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes requires the latest technology and high-end services, and stressed that this not only impacts the state budget but also financially and emotionally drains the families of the patient.
The minister referred to international studies and noted that the root of public health issues in the country is our nutrition and lifestyle choices.
Therefore we cannot sit idly surrounded by hospitals equipped with the latest technology, queuing to meet doctors and medical professionals when the key to preventing disease is public health. It is with the utmost conviction, based on experience and research, that our ministry plans to go forward in the art of public health.Minister of Health Abdulla Ameen
The minister further noted that society has, intentionally or unintentionally, neglected public health, therefore the ministry is currently making efforts to find sustainable resolutions to these issues based on academic research.
