Maldives, Thailand Sign MoU on Health: WHO Lauds Collaboration
Maldives, Thailand Sign MoU on Health: WHO Lauds Collaboration
Te Ministry of Health of the Republic of Maldives and the Ministry of Public Health of the Kingdom of Thailand today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen, promote, and develop cooperation and collaboration in the field of health. The two countries agreed to enhance primary healthcare services in the Maldives and improve the regulatory capacity of the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA). They also agreed to collaborate on developing training institutions for health professionals, human resource development for health, health policy and health system research, health information and information technology, and innovative sustainable financing for health promotion, among other areas.
“Maldives and Thailand are showing the world that cooperation, partnership, friendship, and solidarity is the way forward,” said Saima Wazed, Regional Director, World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia, at an event held on the sidelines of the ongoing Seventy-Eighth World Health Assembly (WHA), where the MoU was signed.
Calling the MoU an important milestone in the ongoing partnership between the two countries, Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, Minister of Health, Maldives, said it reflects the shared priorities of both countries in advancing universal health coverage (UHC) and building resilient health systems. The Minister appreciated Thailand’s longstanding support and expertise in public health.
Dej-is Khaothong, Deputy Minister of Public Health, Thailand, noted that the MoU is a concrete outcome of the ongoing dialogue between the two countries, initiated during last year’s WHA. He emphasised that the agreement would pave the way for collaboration in key areas such as primary healthcare, regulatory systems, academic exchange, health policy research, and financing.
Commending the collaboration, Wazed said that while the world today faces new health challenges—climatic, demographic, and epidemiological—alongside rising healthcare costs, increasing population demands, and rapid technological transformation, both Thailand and the Maldives are responding through innovation, prioritising inclusion and quality.
“As we stand on the cusp of the coming AI age, the commitment of both Thailand and the Maldives to technology and data is commendable… Your actions are the manifestation of our shared vision for our Region, as outlined in our Regional Roadmap for Results and Resilience,” she said.
“You are showing the world the power of cooperation and unity—that we are better together than alone. Your cooperation will certainly benefit the people of both your countries and is an example to our region and the world,” the Regional Director added.