More specialist services move to atolls as regional hospitals undergo upgrades

Five regional hospitals are being developed towards tertiary-level care as the government moves to expand specialised medical services outside Malé and reduce the number of patients required to travel to the capital for treatment.
Minister of Health, Family and Welfare Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim outlined the initiative during a press briefing at the President’s Office, saying the government has a dedicated plan to strengthen regional healthcare facilities and decentralise specialist services.
The programme forms part of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s healthcare policy, which seeks to make advanced diagnostics and specialist treatment available closer to communities across the atolls.
Significant expansion is already underway at Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital, where cardiology, neurology, pulmonology, urology and nephrology services are now available.
Dialysis capacity at the hospital has more than doubled, increasing from four beds to 10, while emergency services have also been expanded.
An isolation building is expected to be completed before the end of the year. Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) has also been contracted to construct a new tertiary hospital building in Kulhudhuffushi as part of the longer-term expansion.
Ungoofaaru Regional Hospital has similarly introduced several specialised services, including MRI scanning, neurology, nephrology, pulmonology, chemotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.
The hospital is also performing laparoscopic surgeries and has established a dedicated dental department and blood bank.
Preparations are underway to introduce intrauterine insemination, or IUI, expanding fertility treatment options available outside the capital.
Cardiology services are already being provided in Ungoofaaru, while additional equipment is being procured to strengthen the service.
The government is also recruiting a nephrologist and personnel for seven technical positions at the hospital. Construction of its dedicated MRI building is expected to be completed by February next year.
Further south, Dr Abdul Samad Memorial Hospital in GDh. Thinadhoo has introduced cardiology and nephrology services.
Applications for a neurology specialist are currently being evaluated as authorities work to expand the range of specialist care available at the hospital.
The Health Ministry has also identified services that can be introduced using the hospital’s existing infrastructure, while planning and budgeting are underway for a phased transformation of the facility towards tertiary-level care.
Expanding dialysis services across the atolls is another component of the government’s decentralisation programme.
The ministry is assessing the number of dialysis patients in different regions to determine where additional capacity is most urgently required. The approach is intended to reduce repeated journeys to Malé for patients who require regular dialysis treatment.
For island communities, access to specialist healthcare has historically been complicated by the country’s dispersed geography. Patients requiring advanced diagnostics, specialist consultations and complex procedures have often had to travel to Malé, sometimes for repeated appointments.
Successive administrations have sought to strengthen regional hospitals, while the current government has placed greater emphasis on developing tertiary-level capabilities at selected facilities that can serve surrounding atolls.
The government is also pursuing a broader programme of hospital construction and healthcare infrastructure development across the country, alongside efforts to recruit specialists and introduce diagnostic services that were previously concentrated in the Greater Malé region.
According to figures presented at the briefing, 67 percent of the government’s 478 health-related pledges have so far been completed.
A total of 244 decisions have been taken across the health, family and social affairs sectors, while 835 healthcare projects are currently at different stages of implementation.
The government has also carried out 8,384 activities related to health sector development, while ongoing healthcare projects represent a combined investment of approximately MVR 5.98 billion.
The ministry said the expansion of regional hospitals is ultimately intended to create a healthcare system in which patients can access a much broader range of specialist and tertiary services without having to travel to Malé.