NeoCare Conference Begins to Strengthen Neonatal Care in Maldives

The second edition of the NeoCare Conference, focused on strengthening the quality of care provided to newborns in critical condition, has commenced in the Maldives.

The three-day national conference was inaugurated by First Lady Sajidha Mohamed at a ceremony held to bring together healthcare professionals involved in neonatal care. During the ceremony, the First Lady also launched the Maldives’ first NeoCare and NICU News Bulletin.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ibrahim Abdul Razzaq Haleem, Chief Executive Officer of the Malé City Group of Hospitals, emphasized that the care of critically ill newborns cannot be viewed as the responsibility of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) alone.

He said neonatal care is closely connected to services provided across the wider hospital system, requiring coordination between different healthcare professionals and departments.

Haleem noted that last year’s NeoCare conference focused primarily on nurses, while this year’s conference has been expanded into a multidisciplinary platform bringing together professionals from different fields involved in the care of newborns.

Minister of Health Geela Ali highlighted the challenges of delivering specialized healthcare services across the Maldives due to the country’s geographical dispersion.

She said conferences such as NeoCare help strengthen coordination and connections between hospitals while ensuring that healthcare professionals have opportunities to maintain and develop their knowledge and skills.

The Minister also stressed that neonatal care requires continuous human resource development and cannot depend solely on one-off training programmes.

World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to the Maldives Dr Nazneen Anwar said the Maldives has made significant progress in the healthcare sector at both regional and international levels, particularly in reproductive and neonatal health.

Initiated by Hulhumalé Hospital, the conference is being attended by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals working in NICUs across 19 hospitals in the Maldives.

NeoCare 2026 is a national conference on neonatal care hosted by Hulhumalé Hospital, under the Malé City Group of Hospitals, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Health Protection Agency (HPA), WHO and STO Healthcare. The conference is aimed at strengthening knowledge-sharing and collaboration among healthcare professionals involved in neonatal care across the country.