The government has launched the Maldives Health Line to provide health services to the people in the atolls without having to travel to the capital Male'.
Maldives Health Line was launched at a special ceremony held at the Republic Square in Male' on Monday.
Speaking at the ceremony, Health Minister Ahmed Naseem said the government aims to bring about revolutionary change in the health sector.
He said the outreach program conducted by the ministry will be further expanded with the Maldives Health Line project.
Naseem said the government hopes to bring health services closer to the people so that they do not have to make frequent travels to the city.
According to the ministry, the Maldives Health Line will see specialized doctors working in Atoll or Regional Hospitals travel to each island every month.
Under the program, specially designed 20 high-speed launches will be sent to 20 atolls.
Under the program, specially designed 20 high-speed launches will be sent to 20 atolls. Seven launches were handed over on Monday while the remaining 13 are expected to be handed over by the end of November.
Speaking at the ceremony, State Minister for Health Ahmed Adil said the launches will be used to conduct outreach programs and transport patients in emergencies.
They are designed to easily carry patients and laboratory samples, he said, adding that the ministry will jointly work with the State Trading Organisation (STO) to transport laboratory samples, emergency medicines and consumables from one island to the other with the help of drones under the Maldives Health Line program.
The drone service will be launched in islands without laboratories and the ministry aims to improve the health sector using the latest technology, he said.
The Maldives Health Line project is worth MVR 54.5 million. The launches cost MVR 50 million and the drones MVR 4.5 million, the ministry said.
