Ooredoo has donated three sea ambulances to the ministry of health in the Maldives during a special ceremony held in the Izzudheen Jetty area of island country.
The donation comes after Ooredoo’s earlier commitment to support work of the Maldives government in providing quality healthcare to its citizens, the company has said in a statement.
The donation aims to support the nation’s existing sea ambulance fleet, which operates from across the country and plays a vital role in delivering healthcare to people living throughout the highly dispersed islands.
The event was attended by Ooredoo Group chairman HE Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohamed bin Saud al-Thani, Maldives Minister of Health Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, Minister of Economic Development Mohamed Saeed, Minister of State for Defence and National Security Mohamed Zuhair, Vice-Chief of Defence Force Brigadier General Ahmed Shahid, Ooredoo Group deputy CEO Waleed al-Sayed, Ooredoo Maldives chairman and Ooredoo Group chief officer - small and medium business unit Khalid al-Mahmoud, and a number of key stakeholders from the government of Maldives.
Ibrahim said, “Maldives, being a small island nation with a unique geographical topography, is home to a highly dispersed population, resulting in significant challenges in the provision of healthcare services to the facilities inclusive to all islands. The country has made significant progress in its health status and development
indicators over the last decades.
“One of the key focuses of the current government is to provide access to quality health services in an affordable, equitable, and accessible manner. The government of Maldives introduced sea ambulances in 2015 to ease the transportation of patients across the country. Ooredoo has been exceptional in its support for the people in the Maldives and we appreciate their initiative in recognising the significance of the issue and adding state-of-the-art vessels to our sea ambulance fleet.”
HE Sheikh Abdulla said, “We are delighted to add three sea ambulances to the nation’s emergency response fleet over water. Today, we have handed over two of these sea ambulances, with the third to follow before the end of the year. Improving access to basic healthcare for communities is something we are passionate about, and it is our sincere hope that our donation can help bring ease to communities who require urgent healthcare, and medical attention, outside of their home islands.
“We look forward to taking this partnership further by introducing our global mobile health clinics programme in the Maldives, with the support of Ministry of Health, Maldives National Defense Force, and Maldivian Red Crescent. Across our markets, mobile health clinics are making a difference in delivering healthcare to those who need it the most, and we hope to achieve the same results here in the Maldives.”
A global initiative undertaken by the company, Ooredoo mobile health clinics travel to rural and remote communities to provide free medical treatment, share nutritional advice and
distribute vitamins.
The programme aims to play an educational role, teaching parents and children about the importance of a healthy lifestyle and of disease prevention. Along with its partners, Ooredoo aims to expand this programme to smaller islands in the Maldives, which can truly benefit from the programme.
Ooredoo Maldives CEO Najib Khan said, “Ooredoo Maldives made a strong commitment to support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, whereby the achievement of Goal 3 - good health and well-being, is one of our key focus areas.
“Our investment in the sea ambulances, as well as the mobile health clinics programme is a key part of this commitment, and we hope that both these initiatives can make a positive impact in the life of our customers and the people of Maldives.”
The sea ambulances are 40 feet long with two patient beds, and can hold up to 12 passengers at a time. The vessels are also installed with a state-of-the-art navigation and communication systems. They are fully-equipped with two oxygen cylinders along with other items of essential safety equipment.
As a community-focused company, Ooredoo Maldives will continue to work together with local stakeholders to enrich the digital lives of its customers and facilitate new and exciting opportunities for social and economic development in the Maldives.
HE Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohamed al-Thani and Waleed al-Sayed lead the donation ceremony.
