MHPU Demands Urgent Review as Reclassification Strips Foreign Healthcare Workers of Professional Status

The Maldives Health Professionals Union (MHPU) has called for an urgent government review following a policy update that reclassifies several skilled healthcare positions from “Professional” to “Non-Professional”.

Issued by the Ministry of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology, the revised Expat System Occupation Categorization List alters the official status of various skilled positions. Specific roles downgraded under the list include sub-specialty doctors (such as Consultants in Sub-Specialist Cardiology), medical imaging technicians, radiographers, pharmaceutical officers, and laboratory technologists.

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As per the union, this reclassification strips qualified expatriate healthcare workers of key entitlements reserved for professional visa holders. They explain that affected staff lose the ability to secure dependent residence visas for their families and face lower caps on overseas remittance limits. Consequently, many foreign workers who have built lives in the Maldives, with spouses residing locally and children enrolled in Maldivian schools, face immediate family separation as dependent visas expire without option for renewal–says MHPU.

The MHPU highlighted that this administrative shift threatens to undermine an already heavily expatriate-dependent healthcare infrastructure. Union representatives warned that removing key benefits risks triggering staff resignations, damaging workforce retention, and disrupting the overall continuity of patient care.

To resolve the crisis, the union urged the Ministry of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology to reconsider the categorization framework immediately. They requested that authorities evaluate healthcare workers based on their formal qualifications, technical skills, daily responsibilities, and contributions to healthcare delivery. The MHPU also called on the Ministry of Health to intervene directly by coordinating with relevant state bodies to rectify the reclassification and ensure fair treatment for healthcare professionals.