National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) has stated efforts are underway to establish treatment facilities for COVID-19 in five regions of the country.
Speaking at the daily press briefing, Spokesperson of NEOC Mohamed Mabrook Azeez said the government plans to strengthen the preparations for COVID-19 in the atolls, noting five regions have been allocated for the development of COVID-19 treatment facilities. He also revealed the number of beds allocated for each facility.
In this regard, the spokesperson revealed 20 ICU beds and 37 isolation beds have been allocated for both Shaviyani Atoll Hospital and Baa Atoll Hospital, while 20 ICU beds and 23 isolation beds have been allocated for Gan Regional Hospital in Laamu Atoll. He also revealed 23 ICU beds and 12 isolation beds have been allocated for Gaafu Alifu Atoll Hospital, while 23 ICU beds and 22 isolation beds have been allocated for Hithadhoo Regional Hospital in Addu City.
Testing facilities for COVID-19 are currently only available at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in Male' City. However, the government plans to provide testing facilities for the five treatment centres to be established in the atolls, in case COVID-19 spreads rapidly across the country. The government is also working on acquiring enough ventilators and testing kits for a worst-case scenario.