The government has decided to develop a medical treatment guideline for the country's health sector.
Following Sunday's cabinet meeting, the President's Office said that President Dr Mohamed Muizzu made several decisions based on a paper submitted by the Health Ministry to resolve existing the medicine inaccessibility issues and to strengthen the health industry in general.
This includes developing a treatment guideline.
At present, there is no written guideline for doctors to treat patients in the Maldives. However, developed countries have guidelines in place for medical professionals to adhere to. A report by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) last October also recommended to implement a treatment and practice guideline.
According to the report, the lack of such documents to instruct medical professionals in matters related to the health and life of the public leads to decisions being made that may not be in the best interest of the people.
It also said without some important regulations, there is no standard to ensure that the tests prescribed are medically necessary. However, putting a guideline in place would ensure tests are related to the diagnoses, as well as reduce repetition, the report said.
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