Maldives Launches First National Universal Health Coverage Forum
Maldives National Universal Health Coverage Forum launched | Photo: Health Ministry
The Maldives National Universal Health Coverage Forum launched yesterday at Kurumba Maldives, marking the country’s first dedicated platform for strategic dialogue on health equity and health system resilience.
Day 1 concluded with reflections and alignment on key takeaways—reaffirming partnerships, system reforms, and a shared commitment to achieving equitable and resilient Universal Health Coverage in the Maldives. #UHCMaldives@WHOMaldives @ADB_HQ pic.twitter.com/OY7uMpkQCy
— Ministry of Health (@MoHmv) December 13, 2025advertisement
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The two-day forum is jointly organised by the Ministry of Health, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Health Organization. It aims to strengthen national commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 3.8, which calls for universal access to quality health services without financial hardship.
The Ministry of Health stated that universal health coverage means ensuring that all people can access adequate health services wherever they live, without discrimination or exclusion. The forum is intended to support this objective by fostering policy dialogue, regional cooperation, and coordinated action among stakeholders.
More than 100 participants are attending the event, including representatives from government agencies in the Maldives, India, Bhutan, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Participants also include officials from United Nations agencies such as WHO, UNICEF, UNDP, FAO, and IOM, as well as development partners including the Global Fund, Gavi, the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, and the Gates Foundation. Local stakeholders from the health sector, private providers, educational institutions, research bodies, and civil society organisations are also taking part.
The Ministry noted that the Maldives has achieved a service coverage index of around 70 percent, reflecting strong progress in areas such as maternal and child health, life expectancy, and primary healthcare. However, several challenges remain, including the high burden of non-communicable diseases, which account for 84 percent of the overall disease burden in the country.
Additional challenges highlighted include pressures on health financing, shortages in the health workforce, climate-related vulnerabilities, reliance on expatriate health workers, and gaps in digital health infrastructure.
During the forum, the Ministry unveiled a universal health coverage roadmap for 2026 to 2030. The roadmap incorporates lessons learned from other countries and aligns with the government’s digital health transformation agenda.
The forum is expected to produce a universal health coverage policy brief containing priority recommendations, a resource and partnership map to guide future financing and collaboration, and strategic inputs for the Maldives’ universal health coverage priorities for 2025 to 2030.
Sessions at the forum include expert panel discussions, interactive sessions, and bilateral meetings, with a focus on climate-resilient health systems, innovative health financing approaches, and digital health solutions.
