President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has announced plans to bring all tertiary hospitals across the Maldives under a unified network, to be known as the Maldives Tertiary Hospitals Group, aimed at improving efficiency, reducing waste and strengthening healthcare services nationwide.
Speaking on PSM’s Nation Chat programme, the President said the decision would expand the operational model of the Male' City Group of Hospitals to cover tertiary-level hospitals across the country.
He said reducing the need for Maldivians to travel abroad for medical treatment and ensuring access to comprehensive healthcare within the country remained key priorities in the Government’s annual budgets. However, he noted that further investment in infrastructure, equipment and human resources would be required to achieve this goal.
President Muizzu said a major challenge was reducing wasteful expenditure in the healthcare sector while establishing a more efficient and sustainable service delivery system.
Under the proposed arrangement, hospitals in Malé and tertiary hospitals in the atolls would operate under a single management framework. The President said this would improve coordination between hospitals, increase efficiency and reduce unnecessary spending.
He explained that hospitals currently purchase medical supplies, including reagents and consumables, at different prices. In some cases, supplies are discarded despite being usable elsewhere. A coordinated system would allow hospitals to transfer surplus supplies to facilities where they are needed, reducing costs and improving service quality.
The President said the hospitals were expected to be connected under the unified system within the next three to four months, without requiring additional staff.
The Maldives Tertiary Hospitals Group would include hospitals in Male', Gan in Laamu Atoll, Fuvahmulah, Thinadhoo, Addu, Kulhudhuffushi and Ungoofaaru.
President Muizzu said the Government would initially bring in doctors from abroad to support the delivery of specialised medical services. In the longer term, however, the Government aims to train more Maldivians in specialised medical fields through its scholarship programmes.
He added that another priority was to strengthen the healthcare system to ensure services could be provided for longer hours and in locations where they were most needed.
The President said the Government had planned several initiatives in next year’s budget to facilitate these improvements.