The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the importance of health “in all phase of life”, says Health Minister Abdulla Ameen.
The minister made the statement during the World Health Assembly (WHA73), held virtually on Monday.
Noting that the Covid-19 crisis has “taught many lessons” to all countries as well the World Health Organization (WHO), Ameen said that no one “could predict a crisis of this nature of magnitude.”
He also highlighted that one of the most important conclusions drawn from the ongoing crisis “is the importance of health in all phase of life”.
“Another important conclusion we can draw from this crisis is the importance of health in all phase of life, be it economy, be it environment or any other aspect of life. The primacy of health cannot be undermined, when the world is faced with a global health crisis it is all of humanity that suffers”Health Minister Abdulla Ameen at WHA73
The health minister stated that the Maldives was not able to prevent the virus from spreading among the community despite “early and rigorous efforts”, and stressed that its consequences has affected the island nation "badly".
“On one hand, the freeze on tourism activities and fishery exports were affecting our very livelihoods while on the other manufacturing countries were placing embargos and global movement of goods came to a grinding halt. This affected us badly, impacting our containment efforts as well as medical and other supplies were becoming very hard to procure and import”Health Minister Abdulla Ameen at WHA73
Minister Ameen also noted that “as countries exhaust all their resources and energy on Covid-19, there maybe other neglected health issues and health system needs as well as socio-economic fall out from this crisis”.
Hence, the minister said that he believes that they “need to look beyond the aftermath of the pandemic”.
During the WHA73 session, Ameen also thanked countries and international organizations for the assistance provided in Maldives’ Covid-19 response efforts.
“I wish to laud and appreciate the regional leadership by the WHO regional office, and bilateral assistance from neighboring countries particularly that of India. And although, not from our region, we all wish to note the assistance from China”Health Minister Abdulla Ameen at WHA73
The health minister further stated that the only way to contain this pandemic is “through regional and international cooperation”.
While Maldives reported the first Covid-19 cases on March 7, from a resort, a community transmission was detected on April 15. A total of 1,106 people have tested for the virus in the island nation, and there have been 74 recoveries and four Covid-19 related deaths.
Capital Malé City was placed on lockdown soon after the confirmation of a Covid-19 spread, and a ban on unauthorized travel between islands was announced shortly after.
