President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said the number of patients that travel to Male' for medical treatment has already decreased while efforts are underway to construct five tertiary hospitals in the atolls.
In his annual address to Parliament, the President Monday said the country's health sector faces many challenges due to centralization, and the sustainable project to overcome them is regional tertiary hospitals.
President Solih said the development brought to Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital alone is a long list and that the hospital now offers a variety of modern services.
"MRI, knee replacement surgery, laparoscopic surgery, mammogram, and other services have been started," he said.
The number of staff was increased as part of the efforts to develop the hospital to the tertiary level. In this regard, 144 employees were added in the form of specialist doctors, medical officers, nurses, and technical and administrative staff, he said.
The President said the number of patients referred to Male' hospitals has already been reduced by 24 percent. The change will apply to all tertiary hospitals when they are in service, he said.
"This is not the end yet. As the services expand and develop, the government will bring about the necessary changes. This is not limited to Kulhudhuffushi and Addu. The government is working to ensure that the tertiary hospitals in GDh. Thinadhoo, L. Gan, and R. Ungoofaaru will operate in the true sense of a tertiary hospital,"
The President said he would build 30-bed hospitals in 12 islands and 50-bed hospitals in six islands. The government's vision for the health sector will be completed with these hospitals, he said.
The President said the Center for Mental Health had conducted more than 60,000 consultations so far. The waitlist has been reduced from over 3,000 to 411 today, he said.
The President said mental health services had been established in five regions of the country, and child development centers have been established in Male' and Addu.
The abandonment of the properly functioning primary health care system was the biggest disaster for the health system, said the President. The government has started work to provide primary health care services throughout the country, he added.
