Covid-19: Maldives' unique geography "an opportunity and a challenge", says president

The unique geography of Maldives is both “an opportunity as well as a challenge” in the fight against novel coronavirus, says President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

The president made at the statement at the SAARC leaders’ video conference on Sunday.

He said that the dispersed islands make it easier to isolate communities in case of a suspected case, but that patients have to transported to the capital city due to the lack of health care facilities in the outer island, adding this “is extremely costly”.

He also noted that the shortage of healthcare professionals including specialist doctors is “always” a challenge, adding that in current circumstances “these challenges are several times greater”.

As the country works to overcome these challenges, Maldives has been fortunate to have assistance from friendly countries including India.

While Sunday’s press conference was initiated by the Indian PM Modi to rally the region’s countries together to fight the coronavirus pandemic sweeping through the world, President Solih thanked him for the “generous assistance” from India to the Maldives since the Covid-19 outbreak.

An Indian medical relief team is currently in Maldives to work with Maldivian healthcare workers, and the neighboring nation has also donated three months’ worth of essential medicine.

President Solih said that he is in “full agreement” with PM Modi “on the need to formulate a comprehensive regional strategy”. While he noted three key elements to be included in this strategy, they are:

Further noting that the country's health facilities will have to cope with the care needed for both residents and the thousands of tourists who visit the archipelago nation, the president said that the government's priority now "is to use precautionary measures to contain the virus as much as possible so as not to over burden [the country's] limited resources".

While Maldives confirmed its first Covid-19 patient on March 7, the total has since risen to 13 with three cases confirmed on Sunday alone. There have been no deaths.

No Maldivians have tested positive for the virus thus far, however, authorities are awaiting results of suspected local cases following symptoms including that of a "close contact" of a positive individual from Anantara Dhigu.