Warning issued to healthcare service providers operating without a license

Alternative medicine is gaining increased acceptance worldwide, as many people seek alternatives to conventional Western healthcare. While numerous forms of alternative medicine offer benefits for both physical and mental health, the rise of unregistered businesses providing these services has become a global issue, including in the Maldives.

In response, the Maldivian Ministry of Health recently issued a warning, stating that it will take legal action against unlicensed and unregistered healthcare providers operating in the country. One notable case involved a cupping therapy service, a traditional alternative treatment, operated by Fazeela Usman. Although alternative medicine attracts interest, the concern lies in the fact that these centres often operate without proper licensing and sometimes make unsubstantiated claims as alternatives to conventional medical treatments. As more and more alternative medicine providers make this claim, it has become important to ensure that healthcare providers are licensed and regulated to safeguard public health and the credibility of alternative medicine as well. 

With this, the Ministry published a statement which states that all healthcare service providers in the Maldives must be registered under the healthcare service centre registration regulations. In addition to registering, the service providers must also have a proper operating license issued for them. Although this has always been the regulation that was required to be followed according to the law, there continues to be a rise in alternative medicine providers operating without proper licensing in the Maldives. With this, the Ministry has warned to take legal action against such parties.