The government is to allow nurses and other health professionals out of work, to return.

The initiative was first announced on 2 January 2024. President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu reached the decision to formulate a special policy to facilitate the return of nurses and other health workers who have not been working due to various reasons, following recommendation of his Cabinet of Ministers.

The decision was based upon extensive deliberations on a paper submitted by the Ministry of Health during a cabinet meeting held on 1 January 2024.

With this initiative, the return of nurses and other health professionals to the service will be facilitated, based on available positions.

During a cabinet meeting held on Sunday, the president announced plans to compile a roster of individuals who have left civil service roles and express interest in filling vacancies in areas experiencing shortages or temporary positions.

In addition to this, it was decided that those registered with the departments will be considered for wage employment opportunities as needed.

This will be done under a specific program allowing for a quick recruitment procedure as opposed to the general policy of offering employment to employees.

A pay structure was decided for these individuals, as the government finds it important to compensate Maldivians well for government work, especially those who have received training in several technological sectors.

Further, highly technological subjects across all industries will get a minimum of 50 percent of the funds allocated to the higher education loan plan.

This decision stemmed from the fact that certain institutions struggled to fulfil their mandates and offer services due to the backlog in filling positions with ease.

The President’s Office noted that it poses challenges to hire individuals for permanent positions as well as to hire temporary workers to replace long-term absentee employees.

Muizzu earlier decided to allow those who desire to work less than eight hours a day, to do so within the established standards of the civil service by setting a salary based on their working hours.

Further, it was decided to extend assistance to individuals above 55 years of age and those retired who are not registered in the registry set up, to facilitate the recruitment of out-of-service healthcare workers who are qualified in terms of health, education, experience, skill, and availability of positions in the administrative structure.