Male’ to See Additional 117 Hospital Beds to Address Growing Demand
The Male’ City Group of Hospital has confirmed that the Male’ region will see 117 additional hospital beds added to its healthcare system.
These additional beds are set to expand the capacity of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) and Hulhumale’ Hospital, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Male’ City Group of Hospitals, Ibrahim Abdul Razzaq said.
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The Maldives’ entire healthcare system relies heavily on hospitals located in the Male’ region. However, the CEO pointed out that the quality of services has not yet met the needs of the densely populated capital city.
One of the major challenges impacting health service delivery is the limited bed ratio, which has struggled to keep up with the growing population.
Speaking to PSM News, Abdul Razzaq Haleem highlighted that patients are referred to Male’ hospitals from across the nation, creating capacity pressures and hindering the ability to provide adequate healthcare. Despite this, the number of beds in the area has remained unchanged at 316 for the past 30 years, he added.
Efforts are now being implemented to address this issue. “The former administrative block of IGMH has been completely vacated, and we are building a 75-bed ward there. This will be completed this year and will begin operations in early 2024,” Abdul Razzaq Haleem stated.
Additionally, 28 beds will be added to the third floor of the six-storey Hulhumale’ Hospital as part of the planned upgrades. These developments will collectively increase the total number of hospital beds in the Male’ area’s public health system to 433, the CEO confirmed.
These changes are part of a broader long-term plan, which includes the development of a new Cancer Hospital, a Thalassemia Hospital, a Villimale Tertiary Hospital, and an extension to the Hulhumale’ Hospital.
The introduction of these new facilities and bed expansions is expected to ease the strain on healthcare services in the Male’ region, addressing the growing demand for medical care in the most populated area of the Maldives.
