Organisers of the Healthcare Exhibition and Education Fair speak to journalists at the opening ceremony held at Dharubaaruge on March 17, 2011. HAVEERU PHOTO/ DAVID STEPHENS
MALE, March 17 (HNS) - The Maldives International Healthcare Exhibition and Sri Lankan Education Fair, was declared open today at a ceremony, featuring several prominent figures from the spheres of education, health and politics, held at the Dharubaaruge Exhibition Hall.
The combined healthcare exhibition and education fair, which is being staged from March 17-19, is being organized by Inner Maldives, in conjunction with Aitken Spence Conventions and Exhibitions and Lanka Hospitals.
Deputy Minister of Health and Family, Lubna Zahir Hussain, while speaking on the health benefits created by the exhibition, said, “It is the first time ever that so many healthcare providers have exhibited their services under one roof. This exhibition gives an opportunity for healthcare seekers from Maldives to know the services offered, and build stronger and long lasting partnerships with the Sri Lankan hospitals, and various other healthcare providers from Sri Lanka.”
The Advisor to the President, Ibrahim Ismail, in his capacity as a noted educator, delved into the mutually beneficial educational opportunities presented by the close relationship between the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
“The Maldivian institutes are also quite open to welcome working in partnership with foreign institutes. Sri Lanka, being our closest neighbour, I think is one of the best countries to engage with in this endeavor,” he explained.
Proceedings were momentarily steered from education and healthcare on to a political track, when the ceremony’s Chief Guest, Special Envoy to the President, Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, harked back to the days of the previous regime, when he said development opportunities were limited. Constance Halaveli Resort
“This is most timely that an international healthcare exhibition (and education) fair is held in the Maldives. Why I say timely is because we have gone through a dramatic and major transformation from a dictatorship to a democracy.
“Today as I stand on this podium I am proud to say that this is the first ever democratic government present here. So for us we have gone through a lot; we have paid a heavy price to bring this change,” he asserted.
Aside from the notable speakers, the opening ceremony was also graced by a number of other distinguished invitees, including the CEO of Lanka Hospitals, Lakith Peiris; Aitken Spence Conventions and Exhibition Director, Dharni Soza; Deputy Sri Lanka High Commissioner to the Maldives, Shanthi Sudusinghe; Inner Maldives Holidays Group General Manager, Mohamed Jalal; CEO of the Maldives Qualifications Authority, Abdul Muhsin Mohamed; and the CEO of Mihin Lanka, Kapila Chandrasena.
