Hassan Junah Jameel
MaldivesMeet Hassan
"Born and raised in the capital Male'. Currently about to start my final year of MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) m in the Armed Forces Medical College, India. Love to volunteer in my free time."
Age: 22
Country: Maldives
Profession: Medical Student
How would you define health?
A state of physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity as well as being able to lead an economically productive life.
Are there any health practices unique to your country?
Nothing unique, but certain religious beliefs and superstitions are followed which may have direct/indirect health implications such as feeding honey to neonates and right after birth.
Moreover due to a lack of facilities in the country, most citizens tend to get insurance to travel abroad (usually India) to receive healthcare. So there is a habit of travelling abroad to receive healthcare under the perception that people will receive better healthcare (not necessarily always the case).
How does your healthcare system work?
Maldives follows mainly three levels of healthcare: 1) primary health care centers in the form of small hospitals and clinics especially in rural islands which provide basic health services like maternal care, child immunization and health services and treating minor ailments, deworming, screening etc:- 2) secondary/regional health centers in the form of a major hospital in each atoll (accomodation capacity and facilities are limited) which can then refer to 3) tertiary care facilities (IGMH, ADK Hospital) in the capital by speedboat or seaplanes. If it's still not managed, then the patient is referred abroad.
Basic triage is used to screen patients and identify the care the require. OPD services are present, usually issuing appointments for 25 patients per day per doctor.
Are you satisfied with your healthcare system?
No
If not, why?
Patient load doesn't match the doctor pool, so the appointments are issued extremely late, usually weeks after having applied for an appointment.
Inadequate facilities and outdated technology prevent doctors from providing the most efficient healthcare eg: Holter monitoring, physiotherapy services can take an excess of 3 months before they get their appointment. This is due to a lack machines. USG services suffer similar complaints. This in turn impedes the follow-up of patients due to the sheer headache of getting the tests prescribed by their doctors and most tend to be lost to follow up.
Lack of policies in favor of developing the health sector.
Do you have health insurance? If so, what does it cover?
Everyone is issued health insurance by the name of Aasandha. It's details are available online.
Is healthcare easily accessible? What barriers to access exist?
Access to health professionals are not easy due to a lack of doctors. Moreover, tests can take a long time to get completed due to waiting lists. It's a vicious cycle.
What health problems are prevalent in your country?
Mainly mosquito-borne diseases like Dengue fever. (A lot of rainfall experienced causes a rise in vector population)
Hereditary diseases like Thalassemia are extremely prevalent in the Maldives.
There is also a sharp rise in cases of metabolic syndrome and arthritis (osteo mainly, rheumatoid is also seen)
Mental illness such as manic depressive disorders and neuroses are also very prevalent, perhaps due to the overcrowding problems seen especially in city areas.
Is it common for people to seek healthcare outside the country?
Yes
In regards to health, where do you feel your country excels? What needs improvement?
It excels in curbing outbreaks quickly (due to a smaller population, most of which is concentrated at the capital) and providing maternal and child health care.
Needs improvement in terms of personnel, policies and methods of patient follow up.
If you could change something about health in your country, what would you change?
Improve and increase the facilities for health care.
Is there anything else you would like to say regarding health in your country?
No
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