President Muizzu Named in TIME100 Health 2026

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has been named in TIME magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in Health 2026, in recognition of his leadership and policy measures aimed at advancing public health and preventive care in the Maldives.

The listing highlights the Government’s focus on preventive healthcare and tobacco control initiatives introduced under President Dr Muizzu’s administration. These include a generational tobacco ban prohibiting anyone born after January 2007 from purchasing tobacco products, as well as a nationwide ban on the import, sale and use of vapes and e-cigarettes. The measures form part of a broader national strategy to eliminate smoking and tobacco use.

In an interview with TIME, President Dr Muizzu said government policy had traditionally prioritised curative responses to health issues over prevention. 

“Mostly in the government, the policy has been to take curative action towards health issues instead of focusing more on the preventive side,” he had said. “We are focusing equally on both sides.”

The Maldives became the first country to implement a generational smoking ban in November. The law followed earlier restrictions introduced in 2024 on vaping products.

Additional nationwide initiatives include the establishment of free tobacco cessation clinics across the islands and the introduction of a free 24-hour mental health helpline in 2026. Last year, the Maldives also achieved the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B.

President Dr Muizzu said the measures were designed to bring “a meaningful, measurable, sustainable change” to public health and lifestyle outcomes in the country.

TIME magazine’s TIME100 Health list recognises leaders, policymakers, researchers and innovators whose work has had a measurable impact on health systems and outcomes worldwide.