Maldivian anesthesiologist and pain specialist Dr Asadh Mohamed Shaheed has been appointed President of the SAARC Association of Anesthesiologists (SAARC-AA), taking on the regional leadership position for the next two years.
The Ministry of Health, Family and Welfare said the appointment will provide the Maldives with an important opportunity to expand regional collaboration in anesthesiology, critical care, medical research and specialist workforce development.
Through Dr Asadh’s leadership, Maldivian doctors, anesthesia technicians and nurses are expected to gain greater opportunities to work with specialists from other SAARC countries through knowledge-sharing initiatives, joint training and access to technical expertise and resources.
Director General of Health Services Dr Ahmed Ashraf highlighted the need to increase the number of locally trained anesthesia professionals in the Maldives. He noted that only 11 Maldivian-trained anesthesiologists are currently working in public hospitals, with expatriate specialists making up the remainder of the workforce.
Following a meeting attended by Health Minister Geela Ali and senior health officials, Dr Ashraf told PSM News that efforts are being explored to introduce specialised anaesthesia training programmes for nurses and technicians through the School of Medicine at the Maldivian National University, in coordination with the Ministry of Higher Education.
The discussions also included cooperation with anaesthesiology associations from SAARC member countries on the development of regional training curricula and capacity-building initiatives.
The Ministry said such programmes are becoming increasingly important as demand for anaesthesia services continues to grow alongside rising surgical activity across the country.
Dr Asadh’s two-year presidency is expected to strengthen the Maldives’ role in regional healthcare cooperation while using the SAARC-AA platform to improve national capabilities in anaesthesia and critical care and support the development of a sustainable, locally trained specialist workforce.
