President Dr Mohamed Muizzu relayed the Administration’s objectives to ensure no citizen is overlooked in terms of education, income, health, compassion, and overall life satisfaction. He made the remarks while delivering his Presidential Address at this year's inaugural session of the People's Majlis today. This was President Dr Muizzu’s first Presidential Address in Parliament since his inception as President.
Progressive Education Sector Reform
In his address, President Dr Muizzu emphasised that larger populations lacked adequate educational facilities. The President stated that the Government is committed to initiating the necessary reforms and providing essential resources to bolster the education sector. Furthermore, he announced the allocation of MVR 30 million from the contingency budget for immediate school repairs, reflecting the Administration's proactive approach to addressing pressing concerns.
The President stated that 61 education sector projects are currently in the tendering stage and announced that a notably higher number of qualified local teachers to teach various subjects were being employed.
Permanent housing solutions
President Dr Muizzu shed light on the progress of the Ras Malé Infrastructure Development Project, depicting the project as a comprehensive solution for the housing issue.
The President stated that land reclamation, land allocation, and flat construction projects would commence within the year to address the housing shortage in the islands. He said that the Government had reduced the rent of housing units built by the Government in the provinces and cities.
Health Sector Development
The President announced that the 2024 budget includes various programmes to strengthen the preventative healthcare system. He further revealed plans for expanding the primary healthcare system in 10 atolls, with operations set to commence shortly. He said that, as part of this initiative, the Government had decided to upgrade Dhamanaveshi.
He also shed light on the ongoing efforts to revise the National Medicine Policy to ensure the availability of quality medicines. He expressed the Administration’s ambition to establish a well-equipped laboratory on every island and inaugurate tertiary hospitals nationwide. This strategy aims to reduce the need for citizens to travel to Malé for treatments, enabling them to access healthcare services closer to their islands.
President Dr Muizzu further reiterated the Administration’s commitment to improving emergency medical services and confirmed that air ambulance services for long-distance emergency patient transfers would be operational from March onwards. He concluded his address by outlining several development projects initiated across the nation.
