The WHO Regional Director for Southeast Asia Pays A Courtesy Visit To The President

On Monday, the Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Southeast Asia, Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh paid a courtesy visit to the President of the Maldives, His Excellency Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. The meeting took place at the President’s Office during the morning hours of Monday, 19^th December 2022.

During the meeting, President Solih and Dr. Khetrapal Singh recollected the long-standing, strong relationship between the Maldives and the WHO. On this, they spoke about the strengthened ties and the commitments fulfilled over the past few years.

At the meeting, Dr. Khetrapal Singh commended the Maldives for its efforts to build the healthcare sector, stating that the country spent approximately 12% of its GDP in developing the sector. In this regard, she noted that Maldives is among the few countries that have invested considerable amounts to develop the healthcare field. Speaking about the Covid-19 pandemic, the Regional Director praised the Maldives for successfully maneuvering the uncertain times of the pandemic. She also highlighted that Maldives has struck the perfect balance between focusing on health and managing the economy post-pandemic.

In his turn, the President expressed gratitude to WHO for its continued support and guidance to the Maldives. In this way, he iterated that the country needs additional expertise in training technical staff for the health sector. Addressing this, Dr. Khetrapal Singh stated that her strong suit lies in supporting disease elimination efforts and acknowledged the Maldives for eliminating several diseases such as malaria and polio.

Before concluding the meeting, President Solih and Dr. Khetrapal Singh renewed their commitment to work closely to develop the health sector of the Maldives. The meeting concluded with both parties agreeing to further explore avenues of cooperation in the future.