In this section, I will
explain to you about the lifestyle as a medical officer in the Maldives and ways to
apply for jobs in the Maldives
1. Medical officer placement in the
Maldives is of 3 types:-
- One through the government, which will post you in one of the
various regional hospitals of peripheral islands (there are more than 100 small
islands which have a government hospital in each. Such hospitals are called Atoll
hospital)
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| Entrance over the ED of the Hospital where I worked |
- Other through the private hospitals of Malé islands (Malé
islands mean – Capital Male, Hulhule and Hulhumale – connected via a bridge)
- And lastly directly to the resort islands as a resort doctor.
(There are more than 20 tourist resorts which have its resort clinic for its
own guests and staffs)
2. Private hospital vacancies are scarce, most of the local mo
applies, and foreigners like us are recruited through various recommendations
within the hospital. So it is a rare possibility. To apply, you have to do all
the process yourself and apply with a CV directly to the HR. There are two
private hospitals in the Maldives. ADK International Hospital and Treetop
Hospital. One is in male, and the other is in Hulhumale.
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| Got a chance to work as a Medical Officer in a 5-star resort island |
3. Resort islands will not take you till you are licensed and
have Maldivian experience, so it's not a possibility to directly apply to the
resorts for the first time.
4. An easy possibility is a government job. For which you can
directly apply from the websites of health ministry (sending CVs and inquiries
to recruitment@health.gov.mv), or there are agencies in Nepal to help you get
one. Agencies in Nepal will take three months of the processing time after you
apply, till you land in the Maldives. It's an average time for everyone. It
requires around 1.5 to 2 lacs Nepali rupees for all the process through these agencies.
Or the other way is to directly contact an agent in the Maldives, which will
also take placement charge and requires at least three months of patience.
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| Way to Fish Market, Hulhumale |
5. Regarding experience, 1-year experience as a MO are preferred
rather than fresh graduates. Though it's not the absolute criteria, they are
being called for interviews more often than fresh graduates.
6. Your medical college should be listed on the Maldives Medical
and Dental Council (MMDC) approved list. All the medical colleges of
Nepal is on that list; however, if you graduated from outside Nepal, it's a
good idea to check their list first before applying.
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| View of the hospital from back side garden |
7. Regarding the license, if MMDC accepts your all credentials,
they will give you preregistration. The agency generally helps in this
preregistration. Then after landing to the Maldives, you have to verify your
original documents in person to MMDC, after this, you will get a provisional
license for one year. If you intend to work for more than one year, then you
have to clear an MMDC licensing exam. The exam is computer-based and is of a
total of 150 questions. 75 is the passing mark.
8. After finalizing your contract, you have to take a foreign
employment permit from the Department of Foreign Employment of Nepal. To obtain
permit, you have to first get your medical checkups done, then take a 2 day
orientation class (if you have never worked abroad before), provide biometrics
in the department of foreign employment, verify the genuineness of visa by
Chaudhary Group (designated body for Maldivian Visa Verification), get a life
insurance for 2 years and apply in the Department of Foreign Employment with
all these documents.
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| Traveling between the islands from Speed Boat |
9. Work is not as hectic as in Nepal. You are entitled to work
48 hours a week. The lifestyle of a resort doctor is more enjoyable, and
private hospital doctors will have more off days in a week. It's not the best
place to work and study, but better than Nepal, to have some study time in hand
after work.
10. Lifestyle in the Maldives is not very exciting. Roaming in
the Maldives as a tourist is charming, but working in the Maldives as an
expatriate is not a pleasant experience for everyone. Land surface area is
less, so there are fewer places to roam around unless you travel in different
islands from a speed boat. Food has a lesser variety and the same taste due to
the use of excessive coconut oils, which most Nepalese don't like. Everywhere
you go, you will be served tuna fish as the most popular Maldivian cuisines.
Restaurants around malé are expensive. If you work as a mo in one of the
regional atoll hospitals, you have to cook your food.
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| My first experience of flying in the sea plane |
11. Regarding salary, the range is about 1500 to 3000 US$ per
month. Government jobs will have a fixed salary rate of 1500$ with around 300$
other allowances. There is the provision of overtime payment in some atoll
hospitals too. Private hospital jobs will have a salary rate of 1500-2500$
depending on your experience. The general range they offer is 1500-2000$
fixed-rate salary without allowances for Nepalese in a private hospitals. You can earn
as high as 3000$ in resorts. However, resort vacancies are very less and
require MMDC license and Maldives experience before getting one.
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| Workers maintaining the garden on the walk ways |
My suggestion to those who want to work in the Maldives is,
always go there with a purpose. The Maldives should be your transit and
not your final destination. You might get stuck there for easy money and as a
result, might end up staying there for 4-5 years. That will not head you
anywhere in your career.
I went there with a definite purpose. My first aim to work in
the Maldives was to earn money to fund myself for post-graduation studies back
home in Nepal. But after I went there, I got a chance to work with European and
American consultants, who helped me explore my potential. They helped me know
about PLAB / MRCP pathway to flourishing my career and studies in the UK further.
Hence, I started preparing for these exams. I took my MRCP Part 1 exam when I
was still working in the Maldives. At the end of 1 year, I came back to my home
and prepared for OET then MRCP Part 2, PLAB 1 and PLAB 2, and fortunately became lucky
enough to pass them all to ultimately get GMC Registration.
So, before applying to work there, make sure you have clear
goals in your mind.