First Lady Sajidha Mohamed has called for greater investment in people and equal access to healthcare, saying every child deserves the same opportunity for a healthy future regardless of where they are born.
Speaking at the 8th Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) Summit, the First Lady said investing in people remained the most effective investment any society could make.
Addressing the online session as a Guest of Honour alongside First Ladies from Africa and Asia, she stressed the importance of ensuring healthcare services reach all communities, including those in remote locations.
"A child born on a remote island deserves the same opportunity for a healthy future as a child born in a capital city," she said.
The First Lady highlighted the outcomes of the Maldives' partnership with the Merck Foundation, noting that 13 scholarships had been awarded in specialist medical fields including fertility and embryology, endocrinology, critical care and paediatrics.
She also pointed to eight creative awards presented in media, music, film and fashion design, as well as the distribution of 3,000 school supply sets through the Educating Linda Programme.
She said sustainable development could not be achieved through infrastructure projects alone, emphasising the need for partnerships built on trust and solidarity to improve people's lives.
As an ambassador of the Merck Foundation's "More Than a Mother" programme, she also addressed the issue of infertility stigma, saying the social consequences of infertility could be as painful as the condition itself.
She called for greater empathy and understanding, urging societies to treat all individuals with dignity and respect.
The First Lady congratulated the Merck Foundation on its ninth anniversary and recognised its 14 years of development programmes across Africa, Asia and underserved communities.
Concluding her remarks, she urged governments and development partners to continue working towards a world where health, opportunity and dignity are universal rights rather than privileges available to only a few.
The annual Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary conference brings together healthcare professionals, policymakers and academics to discuss major healthcare and development challenges facing countries across Africa and Asia.