Minister of Health Abdulla Ameen has stated the government is working to expand the testing capacity for COVID-19 in the Maldives by setting up testing facilities in the atolls, and increasing daily testing capacity at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) to 1,000.
Speaking to PSM News, Health Minister Ameen stated the current testing capacity of the country is 600 per day. He said the government is currently working tirelessly to increase the testing capacity and expand testing capacity to the atolls by early June.
Providing an update on the efforts of the government, the health minister said the GeneXpert cartridges will be processed to the Maldives with the assistance from World Health Organisation (WHO) by early June, if not by the end of May. Additional arrangements also include using PCR machines to test for COIVD-19 in the atolls.
Minister Ameen said the current testing capacity in the Maldives is considerably adequate. He said the testing policies and testing requirements will be revised and updated as per the trend of cases in the Maldives.