STO Inaugurates The ‘Diploma In Radiography’ Course

State Trading Organization (STO) recently announced the commencement of the ‘Diploma in Radiography’ course conducted in collaboration with GE Healthcare. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Vice President of the Maldives, H.E Faisal Naseem. A total of 25 students are enrolled under the course.

Radiography is a discipline of medicine involving the use of radiation to view internal organs of the body. It is an equally important discipline that helps to diagnose health conditions within internal organs and is used to identify signs of cancer as well.

A survey conducted to assess the health services in the Maldives revealed that there are very few Maldivians trained and working in this profession at only two major locations in the country. By taking into this account this factor, STO launched the Diploma in Radiography program with GE Healthcare company to cater for more locals to become trained in the field while still being in the country.

94 candidates submitted applications to take part in the course, but only 25 candidates made it to enrolment. This is because STO conducted a thorough assessment of the education background and re-affirmed that candidates met the required entry criteria before selecting shortlisting 36 candidates. These candidates proceeded through an interview and entrance exam, out of which the most promising 25 candidates were selected for the course.

The students will then go onto study 2 years of the course with a 6-month internship before completing the diploma. The course will be taught face-to-face supported by tutorials and practical sessions at the STO Training Institute and GE-STO Skill Lab. The course is accredited by the Maldives Qualification Authority.

At the inauguration ceremony, the official logo for STO Training Institute was also unveiled. The logo was designed through an internal staff competition and the winner, Reesha Rasheed was presented with cash prize and certificate. The course fees for the course are fully funded by STO under their scholarship. Moreover, students will also receive a stipend of MVR 2300 during the duration of the course.

On the margins of the commencement STO gave a message to the enrolling students and said” This opportunity for you to study the Diploma was created with the hope and aspirations of many institutes at the national level. Radiographers are health professionals that are required for the country’s development. So, make the best use of the opportunity, make a resolution and commit to completing this course successfully and strive to become a valued health professional of this nation”.