The government of the
Maldives has handed over Information Communication Technology (ICT) equipment
to health facilities to digitalize and improve the quality of health service in
the country.
The equipment was handed
over to the health facilities by Vice President Faisal Naseem at the ceremony
held to launch the health sector ICT infrastructure strengthening project.
At the event, Vice President Faisal Naseem stated
that the project would significantly impact the health sector and bring several
benefits. He highlighted human resource development as one of the
administration's top priorities and outlined various achievements in this area.
Outlining the administration's development
initiatives, Vice President Naseem affirmed its commitment to continued development
efforts. He also highlighted the administration's efforts to consult with the
public on development initiatives and the administration's policy of ensuring
equitable development throughout the nation.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Minister of
Health Ahmed Naseem said that revolutionary changes are taking place in the
provision of information and services.
He said that the aim is to digitise all
aspects of health services to provide quality and reachable health care to the
citizens of the country. He also said that digitisation of health services will
bring many benefits and solve many of the challenges faced by citizens.
In
addition, he said the most important task to be done to digitise health
services is the strengthening of the ICT infrastructure. As such, he said that
this project is the foundation stone for digitalising the health sector
envisioned for the future.
The equipment was handed over to five regional
hospitals, 15 hospitals in the atolls and 163 health centres. The equipment handed
over to the health facilities includes 608 computer systems, 44 laptops, 500
tablets, 14 video conferencing systems, and 551 printers.
The development of
ICT in the health sector is one of the largest projects in the Maldives and
will cost more than USD3.6 million. Ministry of Health stated that the
equipment will further advance the efforts to digitise the health sector in the
Maldives.