President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih delivers a national address on April 30, 2023. 

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has announced the decision to pay an allowance to medical interns – in a first in Maldives.

The decision was announced in a national address on Sunday morning, in which the president announced a major pay hike for healthcare workers.

In his address, President Solih said the biggest challenge facing the healthcare sector is the lack of interest from Maldivian workers.

He said he had therefore decided to introduce an intern allowance for medical and dental interns in an effort to attract more local workers.

President Solih also announced plans to introduce scholarships and student loan programs in healthcare professions with a shortage of local workers.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih delivers a national address on April 30, 2023. (Photo/President's Office)

“There aren’t any Maldivians working as radiation therapists, medical physicists, pharmacologists, dialysis technologists and other such positions. But these are technical and high-paying jobs,” he said.

President Solih said his administration is introducing new services and resources to the Maldivian healthcare sector, and running multiple health infrastructure development projects.

“But one of the major challenges facing the sector remains the shortage of Maldivians interested in this sector. It is hard to find specialist doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and mental health professionals. It is especially hard to find trained Maldivians in these fields,” he said.

“With these positive changes in healthcare sector pay, we hope to attract more Maldivians and improve the quality of services.”