The government announced that 3710 local workers would benefit from the salary increments brought to health sector wages. Earlier this year, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, while delivering his Presidential Address at the opening of the People’s Majlis this year, vowed to implement a new and improved pay structure for health sector employees starting May 1, 2023.

The details of the salary increments brought to health sector wages effective tomorrow were announced by the Minister of Health; Order of the Dignified Rule of Muleege Dynasty (ODRMD) Ahmed Naseem, the Minister of Gender, Family, and Social Services; Aishath Mohamed Didi and the Secretary General of the National Pay Commission; Dr Mohamed Faizal, at a press conference held at the President’s Office on Sunday evening.

Detailing the changes brought to the pay structure, Dr Faizal stated that improvements would be observed in all allied health fields with the changes being brought under the pay framework. He stated that the structure would differentiate staff pay according to their qualifications to encourage professional development and cater to the requirements in areas most challenging to employ trained local staff. He added that the pay framework also addresses the challenges of seeking trained professionals specialising in areas such as oncology in the regional hospitals in the atolls. The new pay structure is set to benefit 3,710 local health sector employees, and would not apply to expatriates working in the sector.

At the press conference, the government announced the details of 67 job matrices. It includes 63 job matrices from the social sector, two from the education sector, and two from the social services field. This accounts for 520 employees from regional hospitals, 471 employees from atoll hospitals, 965 employees from health centres, 1004 employees from Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), 298 employees from Hulhumale' Hospital, and 452 employees from the Ministry of Health and institutions run under it. It also accounts for some fields under the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services, the Department of Juvenile Justice run under the Ministry of Home Affairs and health sector employees engaged in schools.

The special allowances and remuneration details in the health sector were also detailed at tonight’s press conference. The Minister of Health; ODRMD, Ahmed Naseem and the Minister of Gender, Family and Social Services; Aishath Mohamed Didi, spoke about the changes brought and answered queries from the media.

With the changes coming into effect tomorrow, the government also announced that employees who have not received the 35 percent allowance working in government ministries would simultaneously start receiving the 35 percent allowance.

The transformative changes being implemented to the health sector's wages was announced by President Solih in a televised address to the nation earlier today. In his address, The President stated that the combined changes to the pay structure of the health sector employees and the remaining employees beginning to receive the 35 percent allowance would benefit 9,838 government employees and that MVR 482 million is required annually to support the pay increments.