News Desk
Male’ — In a modest ceremony at the Ministry of Health, two state-owned companies secured contracts worth MVR 316 million to construct and upgrade hospitals, a move aimed at bolstering tertiary-level healthcare across the Maldives. The projects, awarded to Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) and Road Development Corporation (RDC), will see Ungoofaaru Regional Hospital, Lh. Naifaru Hospital, and Gd. Thinadhoo Abdul Samad Memorial Hospital transformed into advanced medical facilities. It’s a significant step for a nation where access to high-quality healthcare has long been a challenge outside the capital.
MTCC, a mainstay in Maldivian infrastructure, walked away with the lion’s share of the contracts. The company will spearhead two ambitious projects. First, it will develop Ungoofaaru Regional Hospital into a tertiary-care facility, a project valued at MVR 161,245,300, with a tight timeline of 17 months. Separately, MTCC will upgrade the Abdul Samad Memorial Hospital in Gd. Thinadhoo to the same tertiary standard, a contract worth MVR 147,437,643, also slated for completion in 17 months. These hospitals, once completed, are expected to ease the strain on Male’s overburdened medical system, offering specialized care closer to home for residents of outlying atolls.
RDC, meanwhile, secured a smaller but critical project at Lh. Naifaru Hospital. For MVR 7.7 million, the company will develop a labor room complex and an intensive care unit, with work expected to wrap up within a year. Though modest in scope compared to MTCC’s contracts, the Naifaru project addresses urgent needs in maternal and critical care, areas long underserved in the region.
The awards come as the government pushes to decentralize healthcare, a priority in a country of scattered islands where travel to the capital for treatment is often costly and impractical. At the ceremony, Health Ministry officials emphasized the projects’ role in reducing disparities in medical access in these areas.
