Running into the Maldivian Health Minister at a food court in Delhi.
Yesterday was a half day at work for us, WHO Fellows at AIIMS, and we took the opportunity of an afternoon off to go to Delhi’s favourite hangout: Select City Mall at Sarket. It is a nice place with a young Delhi crowd hanging around and having fun. After checking out the few electronic shops (my favourite part of any Mall) I ended up at the food court.
I was just near the end of my Shredded Lamb Sizzler when out of the corner of my eyes I noticed, to my surprise, familiar faces at the table just next to mine. There sitting and having Kebab were Minister Aminath Jameel and her team from the health ministry of Maldives. A small world, huh? I went over, and over pleasantries found out that they were in Delhi to meet the Indian health minister. I impulsively asked Dr Yasir, a member of that team, if it was regarding IGMH. What I gathered from the conversation was that IGMH-foreign-management wasn’t a done deal yet and that their visit was related to a number of issues.
It was good to hear that they were trying to improve the health sector in the Maldives. They were trying to do what they believed was the right thing to do. I do not agree that giving IGMH to foreign management is the only solution though. But right now, I’d be willing to consider that option as an alternative to the utter mismanagement at IGMH! It is too painful to see our people suffering the effects of an inadequate and grossly mismanaged health care institutions. Certainly, a well performing health institution is far better than one that doesn’t. It hurts to think that by bringing in a foreign management we are proclaiming our incapacity to manage such institutions ourselves. I would like to think that we do have people who could truly manage an institution of this size and importance among our own people! Then again; the handful of individuals who, over the years, were given the opportunity and responsibility of managing IGMH did not do anything worth much praise. Perhaps, one would argue, there are others who are more capable.
One way or the other, IGMH, and possibly other health institutions in Maldives, must change to meet the medical care needs of our people. Years of neglect and failure must now be addressed. It most certainly won’t be easy. Difficult decisions may need to me made. I, as a practicing clinician and a Maldivian citizen hope that the changes happen quickly and more importantly deliver results that meet our peoples needs.
(Source: blog.niyaf.com)
