From beginning ADI’s Membership Development Programme in 2021, to the process of developing a National Dementia Plan in 2025, the story of ADI member the Alzheimer’s Society of Maldives, has been one of hard work and perseverance. The association was originally registered in Male, Maldives in 2019 and began operations in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this blog, we shine a spotlight on the journey the Alzheimer’s Society of Maldives and the results of their effort: a National Dementia Plan set to launch in 2025.
Laying the foundations for the National Dementia Plan
Co-founder and Secretary General, Mariyam Fiyazza utilised her caregiving experience to establish an NGO focused on dementia support in the Maldives. Motivated by her late grandfather’s dementia diagnosis, her objective was to create a comprehensive support framework for dementia care in the Maldives, including information dissemination, caregiver support, and access to services and facilities. In 2021, she connected with ADI and participated in the Membership Development Program, becoming a full ADI member in 2023.
The organisation has since been actively involved in ADI, participating in the Asia Pacific Regional Meetings and Conferences: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei (2023) and most recently in Xi’an, China (2024). The organisation also participated in ADI’s global conferences in London, UK (2022) and Kraków, Poland (2024).
Alzheimer’s Society of Maldives has worked alongside ADI to engage with the Maldivian government. Advocacy meetings with the Vice President and the Minister of Health emphasised the importance of a standalone National Dementia Plan. In 2022, the Minister of Health participated as a speaker at ADI’s side event during the World Health Assembly, highlighting the country’s commitment to addressing dementia-related challenges. ADI CEO, Paola Barbarino and ADI Regional Director for the Asia Pacific, DY Suharya later travelled to the Maldives to participate in high-level meetings on the development of a National Dementia Plan. This momentum continued when ADI met with the Maldivian delegation to the WHO, including the Minister for Health at the WHO World Health Assembly in 2024.
Current progress on the National Dementia Plan
In 2024, WHO Maldives and the Ministry of Health allocated funding to hire an external consultant for the following tasks:
- to develop a scoping document on dementia in Maldives,
- to conduct stakeholder mapping,
- to draft the Maldives’ National Dementia Plan.
The development of the National Dementia Plan will involve over 50 stakeholders from various sectors addressing dementia and ageing. The project includes face-to-face meetings, data analysis using the Global Dementia Observatory, and alignment with the Global Dementia Action Plan’s seven priority areas.
The draft plan is expected to be reviewed by the Ministry of Health and WHO by April 2025, with a planned launch in mid-2025.
The sustained efforts of Alzheimer’s Societyof Maldives since 2021 have aimed to address the challenges faced by people living with dementia and their caregivers. ADI would like to thank our member, the Alzheimer’s Society of Maldives, ADI Board Member Emily Ong, and other ADI Asia Pacific members including Brunei, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Phillippines, and Singapore who have provided invaluable support to the association. Special thanks to the Ministry of Health Maldives and the WHO Maldives Country Office for their roles in the development of the National Dementia Plan.
DY Suharya, ADI’s Regional Director for the Asia Pacific, said:
I am so proud of the Alzheimer’s Society of Maldives’ advocacy efforts towards their National Dementia Plan – efforts that have been in progress since 2021. Their hard work has always been in the spirit of improving the quality of life of people living with dementia and their carers in the Maldives. The work they’ve done is a testament to their tenacity and perseverance, and should be seen as a beacon of hope for other smaller nations looking to develop their own National Dementia Plans. We look forward to the launch of the plan in 2025!
The forthcoming launch of the plan in 2025 will not only be a significant milestone for the Maldives but also an example of how collaborative efforts can drive meaningful progress in dementia care.