News Desk
MALÉ — A national cancer hospital originally slated for construction in Malé has been officially moved to Hulhumalé Phase 2 and will be developed under a contractor-finance model, health officials have confirmed.
Ibrahim Haleem, Chief Executive Officer of the Male’ City Group of Hospitals, revealed the shift in location during an interview this week, citing spatial constraints and strict safety considerations around the original site adjacent to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).
The specialised cancer facility will now be integrated into a planned 500-bed tertiary hospital complex in Hulhumalé Phase 2. The project scope includes a dedicated Diagnostic Centre for Oncology Services (DCOS) within the same compound, equipped to deliver advanced diagnostic PET scans and radiation therapy—services that currently require Maldivian patients to travel abroad.
While construction on the main hospital structure is scheduled to proceed in phases, work on the standalone diagnostic centre is set to commence later this year.
Plans for a dedicated national cancer treatment centre have evolved across successive administrations. The initiative was initially proposed under former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration as a facility in Laamu Gan funded through an Indian Line of Credit. Following the transition of power, the current government initially proposed placing the facility on vacant land between IGMH and the Dhiraagu headquarters in the capital, before electing to move the complex to Hulhumalé.
According to Haleem, proposals for the project have already been evaluated, and extensive discussions were held at the Economic Council. Detailed structural designs and project management responsibilities have now been transferred to the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Infrastructure.
The establishment of local radiation therapy capabilities is expected to ease significant financial and logistical burdens on cancer patients in the Maldives, who currently must seek advanced oncology care overseas once their treatment progresses beyond basic chemotherapy.
