Health Minister Ahmed Naseem has said laboratory services will be established in all islands across the Maldives.
Speaking to the State media, Minister Naseem said the government follows a step-by-step approach in developing the country's healthcare system. He said that the efforts would bring about beneficial changes to the health sector n the near future.
Noting that the administration is working to decentralize healthcare services, Minister Naseem said priority is given to establishing laboratory services in all inhabited islands. The government has already assessed and identified the areas where the services must be established and noted that the work would be implemented shortly.
'Laboratory services are essential to islands at this time. Treatments are based on the findings from laboratory investigations,' the minister said.
The Health Ministry's Quality Commissioner Thasleema Usman said under efforts to establish laboratory services across the Maldives, the ministry is working on upgrading healthcare centers where laboratory services are already available to tertiary hospital standards.
Thasleema said the government is also working on facilitating easy transport of laboratory samples from islands that do not have laboratories to areas where the service is available. Once the national ferry system is completed and implemented, the transport of samples will be more accessible, she added.
Although laboratories are established on all islands, the ministry will pay special attention to maintaining the standard and quality of testing.
The Health Ministry's laboratory services are currently available in over 90 islands.
Health Minister Ahmed Naseem
