Nurses have been largely neglected, says Acting Health Minister

Acting Minister of Health, Minister of Defence Mohamed Nazim has said that nurses have been largely neglected, and providing training to nurses must be given higher priority than is being done today.

Nazim made this remark while speaking at a seminar held at Nasandura Palace Hotel this morning, regarding the compilation of a master plan for the health sector.

“No priority has been given to training nurses. Training nurses is as important to us as training doctors - it is equally important. Nurses have been largely neglected. From now on, equal priority must be given to training nurses, as is given to training doctors,” said Nazim.

He added that training must also be provided to doctors working in the government sector, as well as to administrative staff at the Ministry of Health, and assured that efforts will be made to increase the government budget for the health sector.

He said that the government’s five-year manifesto must be incorporated into the master plan, and encouraged the inclusion of public health awareness programs, and projects to ensure that health services are of equal standard in other regions in the country, as they are in Male’.

He also announced that efforts are ongoing to establish a Diagnosis Centre in the Maldives.

The ten-year master plan is put together in collaboration with the World Health Organisation.