News Desk
Malé, Maldives — The government is undertaking one of the largest health infrastructure expansions in the country’s recent history, with work underway on 39 hospitals across the Atolls, Health Minister Abdullah Nazim Ibrahim said at a press briefing at the President’s Office yesterday.
Speaking to reporters, the minister described a sector strained by years of neglect. He said that during the President’s recent visits to the islands, it became clear that provincial health infrastructure had deteriorated far more severely than previously understood.
According to the minister, the government is now overseeing construction or upgrading work on hospitals in nearly every region. Some projects involve expanding existing facilities while others require entirely new buildings because current structures cannot accommodate additional services.
In total, 147 health sector projects are in progress. These include 19 new health centres and 89 projects focused on expanding or upgrading eye care services. Another 22 projects are in the planning stage, among them eight new hospitals, five health centres and nine additional expansion initiatives. Twelve projects have already been completed.
Nazim said the scale of investment represents the largest infrastructure outlay in the health sector in recent memory.
Alongside construction, the government has accelerated the expansion of dialysis services. The minister said dialysis is now available in nine additional islands, with bed capacity increased in islands that already offered the service.
“Dialysis is a weekly necessity for many patients. Having this service available in their own island will bring enormous relief, especially during periods of rough seas,” he said.
Nazim noted that dialysis machines had previously been nonfunctional in three atolls. The ministry has since moved to restore and expand services beyond the original policy goal of ensuring availability in every province.
Eight more islands are now preparing to begin dialysis services, he said, marking what the ministry views as a significant step toward reducing the burden on patients who have long been forced to travel for life‑sustaining care.
