Ministry of Health has signed an agreement with Gulf Craft Maldives Private Limited for the procurement of 13 transferring vessels to transport laboratory samples and to conduct outreach programmes.
The agreement was signed by Minister of State Ahmed Adil and Production General Manager of Gulf Craft Constantine Eliopoulos. Under the agreement, the health ministry will be purchasing 13 speedboats to be delivered within one year at a cost of USD2 million.
The speedboats will be used to transport laboratory samples from one island to another in the atolls, to conduct various outreach programmes conducted by the health ministry, and to carry patients during emergencies.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, State Minister Adil said the procurement of transferring vessels will make it easier to transport samples from islands where laboratory services are not available and from laboratories that do not conduct some tests. He also said that outreach programmes will be expanded in the atolls with specialist services and other services through regional hospitals.
The procurement of the speedboats is part of the Maldives COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project, which is being implemented with the assistance of the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The health ministry has also placed an order with a Chinese manufacturing company to bring in 25 buggy ambulances for use in small islands, as part of its efforts to improve the quality of health services in the atolls of the country.