Excellency Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid
Excellency Health Minister Ahmed Naseem
Other Ministers present
Esteemed Mayor of Addu City
Senior Officials from the Ministry of Health and the National Drug Agency
Dear friends,
I am delighted to participate in the inauguration of this Drug Detoxification and Rehabilitation Centre. I’m pleased that this Centre – funded jointly by India and the Maldivian Government – is the first of our 20 High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) to be completed. It is heartening to know that it was completed within one year, despite the logistical challenges of the Covid pandemic.
While drug trafficking is a crime and obviously deserves zero tolerance, drug addiction is a health and social issue that requires infrastructure, science, but most of all understanding and compassion to treat. The process of de-addiction and rehabilitation requires infrastructure and trained professionals. I am glad to hear that this centre is now functional with 24 trained staff in place, and will start in-house rehab processes next week for 20 patients.
I wish the Ministry of Health, the National Drug Agency, the Addu City Council and the people of Addu all the very best in this endeavour to assist their communities. I want to say it today amidst you that India will stand by you in these efforts.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
India-Maldives partnership in the health sector– of which this centre is one component – has a long tradition. The Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Male has been a linchpin of Maldives’ tertiary healthcare for decades. Maldivian doctors and specialists receive training in Indian institutions. During the pandemic, we were able to create an air corridor for thousands of Maldivians seeking advanced healthcare in India.
Our gathering here today is also a celebration of your success in the fight against COVID-19. I congratulate President Solih, his Government and the people of Maldives for the resilience you have shown. I am proud of our cooperation with the Maldives in this difficult journey through the last two years.
Many of the projects that I have spoken about, the High Impact Community Development Projects are conceptualized and implemented the world over by the Local and City Councils. This is in fact what defines, what really sets apart these projects. And what it does because it has local ownership and local buy in, it ensures timely implementation because the councils have a direct stake in their success.
We are currently implementing 20 such projects in the Maldives in diverse areas of health, education, fisheries, tourism, sports, gender empowerment and culture. 9 of these are located in Addu, including 5 eco-tourism zones, one of which I will be joining in the inauguration of later this evening in Meedhoo.
I am happy to announce that the Government of India will support seven more High Impact Community Development Projects, including the establishment of a Mental Health Unit in Addu Hospital. I look forward to the rapid execution of all these projects in Addu and obviously elsewhere in the Maldives.
Friends,
It has been really an action-packed visit for me this last 24 hours with several projects, visits, inaugurations, agreements and as I come closer to the end of the program, I would like to thank His Excellency the President, My host Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid, the Government of Maldives, the people of Addu and I should stress again I am here for the first time, for this very special gesture of hosting me and my delegation, for a very warm and gracious hospitality.
I will always remember this visit to Addu and I go back with a sense of satisfaction that the India-Maldives partnership is very clearly on the move, that it delivers results to its people, it meets the expectations of our society and we are certain that the projects and initiatives we have launched in Addu and in the other regions of the Maldives will be completed soon.
Thank you very much.
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