Isha

Maldives

Meet Isha

Age: 27

Country: Maldives

Profession: Medical Student

Survey Responses

How would you define health?

A state of physical and mental well being.

Are there any health practices unique to your country?

Every country has it's local medicines, right?

How does your healthcare system work?

Both public and private sectors are there..

Are you satisfied with your healthcare system?

If not, why?

There's always room for improvement. In our country (Maldives) there are islands just with health posts. And that is not what I would call health care.

Do you have health insurance? If so, what does it cover?

Yes. Covers most of the medicines, surgeries. Sometimes if a facility is not available and depending on need can get insurance abroad too.

Is healthcare easily accessible? What barriers to access exist?

Depends on where you are, but then again there's still shortage of doctors and facilities. And since it's small islands sometimes have to go to the nearest island with a hospital.

What health problems are prevalent in your country?

Non communicable diseases mostly. Hypertension, diabetes etc. There's also diseases like dengue during rainy season. Thalassemia is there. Some hepatitis B is also common in southern parts.

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?

I wouldn't say excels in a particular area. As for improvement, I think most important is gaining public trust. The counselling part of health care is still not up to the par.

If you could change something about health in your country, what would you change?

More than health I think for a country like mine it's better to change people living in smaller islands to big ones so that health care can take care of itself and be more accessible. Also many people are not educated on mental illnesses.

Is there anything else you would like to say regarding health in your country?

I think the most important for our country is gaining public trust. People would still prefer to go abroad for a treatment they can get in our country, because they feel it will be better. For that we need to improve the standard of health care.

Isha

People Define Health