The statistics of the Ministry of Health has revealed the Maldives currently has one doctor in service for every 500 people in the country’s population.
As per the latest publication of Health Statistics Maldives, the Maldives has 1,084 doctors in service, including 651 medical officers and 433 specialist doctors. The doctors’ pool in the Maldives has 401 local doctors, while the location of service is split with 519 doctors serving in the Greater Male’ Region and 565 doctors serving in the atolls. The health ministry revealed another 26 doctors have been recruited to begin service this year.
With a population of over 500,000, the Maldives is currently able to provide a doctor for about every 500 people. The shortage of doctors was especially critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many doctors forced to serve without taking leaves. The government is undertaking several efforts to increase the number of local doctors in order to provide efficient healthcare services across the country.
The National Doctors’ Day is marked annually on April 18. It is marked on the day the first Maldivian doctor began service in 1964.