Minister calls for international help in the health concerns of small nations

Minister of Health, Abdulla Ameen, has appealed for international support in the national efforts against public health concerns of small nations.

The minister made the call while speaking under the theme of "Quality of Life" at the 7th Session of the Islamic Conference of Health Ministers (ICHM) arranged by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

During the two-day conference held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, minister Ameen highlighted the progress made in the health sector of the Maldives.

Likewise, he noted that the Maldives' has eliminated Malaria, Lymphatic Filariasis, Measles, Neonatal Tetanus, Polio and the transmission of HIV and Syphilis from mother to child in addition to achieving Rubella control.

Nevertheless, the minister noted that despite these achievements, the public health sectors of small nations still face challenges. This includes high treatment costs of chronic non-communicable diseases, exacerbated by increased epidemics of vector-borne diseases and the rising rate of health emergencies due to climate change and sea-level rise.

Hence, the minister appealed for international assistance to enforce policies and actions that ensure good health, as well as “Quality of Life” of the Maldivian people.

The minister's speech also focused on issues related to vaccine coverage, especially to smaller and resource deficient nations, such as the vaccine availability and vaccine hesitancy.

While emphasizing the growing threat of Anti-vaccination campaigns, especially via social media, the minister claimed that larger nations with richer resources are better suited to individually, or collectively increase investment in the fields of vaccine development. The minister called for larger member nations to, at the very least, assist or facilitate the procurement of vaccines and vaccine-related products for smaller member states of OIC.

The Maldives went onto appeal for member states to adopt the resolution in regard to sustaining vaccine availability and coverage.

While the previous ICHM conference was held in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2017, the next conference of the ICHM will be hosted by the Maldives in 2021.