The Government of the Maldives has stated that society should change its attitude toward Dementia. The statement was made by the Minister of State for Health Dr. Shah Mahir at the ceremony held to launch a leaflet compiled by the Alzheimer's Society of the Maldives.
Speaking at the ceremony, State Minister Mahir said Dementia has been declared a health problem of concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO). As such, he said WHO has declared it the seventh leading cause of death in the world. However, he noted that the awareness of the illness in society is still low. He stated it is only seen as a disease that affects the elderly while there are others who do not believe it is a disease. He added efforts are being made to raise awareness about the disease and a strategic action plan is being prepared by the health ministry and relevant organisations.
The leaflet named Ten Sciences of Dementia was launched by First Lady Fazna Ahmed. The leaflet advises people to seek medical help if they have difficulty communicating due to forgetting their usual activities, forgetting the names of people they have seen, forgetting time indicators such as the year and month, and forgetting what is being said.