"Gov't aims to provide free Covid-19 vaccination to every Maldivian, without discrimination"

The government aims to provide free Covid-19 vaccination to every Maldivian citizen without discrimination, says President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

On Thursday, the president embarked on a trip to two islands of Laamu atoll where he visited Kadhdhoo island and Gan island, the latter saw the inauguration of several development projects including the CT scan service at Laamu Gan Regional Hospital, Laamu Gan Zone Stadium and the Laamu Gan Central Power Plant.

In his remarks during the inauguration ceremony, the president noted that the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has unveiled the importance of economic modification, as a state that relies on a single industry for its national income and economic growth.

He added that the government remains in hope that the economy will fully recover from the Covid-19 pandemic soon, and that development projects can be implemented across outlying islands successfully.

The president’s remarks come at a time the Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) has revealed that preparations are currently underway to effectively implement a vaccination campaign when Maldives receives the Covid-19 vaccination doses.

Further, speaking on RaajjeTV’s ‘Fala Suruhee’ programme on Wednesday, State Minister of Health Dr. Shah Abdulla Mahir had revealed that efforts to access Covid-19 vaccines from the United Kingdom as well as the United States of America, are underway.

Dr. Shah stated that a national steering committee has also been formed to prepare for vaccination against the virus, this was done after receiving information about four Covid-19 vaccines.

The island nation was listed among low- and middle-income countries that were eligible to access Covid-19 vaccination through COVAX, it was revealed that each country will receive enough doses to vaccinate 20 percent of the population. Maldives will be reserving 17 percent of the doses for the elderly and high risk individuals.