President announces health insurance scheme

President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has announced Government plans to establish a health insurance scheme for fishermen. Speaking at last night’s official celebration in South Nilandhe Atoll Kudahuvadhoo to mark Fishermen’s Day, the President said “the Government is preparing to establish a health insurance scheme designed to fulfill the healthcare needs of our fishermen”.

Emphasising the invaluable contribution to the economy by fishermen, the President highlighted that the welfare of fishermen had long been a top priority of the Government. He also noted the development and technological advancement of the country’s fisheries industry over the years. “Through the use of modern fishing methods and technology, our fishermen have taken the industry to tremendous heights in a relatively short period of time”, he pointed out.

The President thanked the friendly people of Kudahuvadhoo for the warm welcome that they had accorded to him on his arrival.

“The people of Kudahuvadhoo have always attached a very high importance to education and development. Kudahuvadhoo has a reputation for excellent hospitality and good-neighbourly relations”, the President noted in his speech.

The annual Fishermen’s Day special awards, commemorative plaques and certificates were presented to recipients at last night’s function. The presentations were made by the President.

The President was presented with copies of the 27th edition of the annual Fishermen’s Day commemorative publication “Ras-ain” and a book titled “The Pace of Development of the Maldives’ Fisheries Industry”. The presentations were made by the Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resource, Hussain Hilmy.

In his speech at the function, Minister Hilmy focused on the promising development trend in Maldives’ fisheries. He noted that yellow-fin tuna fishery was a recent successful addition to the industry. He also touched on some of the program of the Fisheries Ministry, including efforts to promote the use of modern technology.


A video compiled on a synopsis of the book “The Pace of Development of the Maldives’ Fisheries Industry” was aired at the function.

The welcome remarks were delivered by the Deputy Director General at the Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resource,Mohamed Faiz. The vote-of-thanks was presented by the Atoll Chief of South Nilandhe Atoll, Mohamed Anees.

The function concluded with a special supplication on Fishermen’s Day, which was administered by the Assistant Executive Director at the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Usman Abdulla.

After the function, the President attended a banquet hosted in his honor by the people of Kudahuvadhoo. He was also presented with a small handcrafted decorative dhoni as a memento by the people. The presentation was made by Senior Island Chief, Ismail Saeed.

Following the banquet, the President watched the special stage show to celebrate Fishermen’s Day.