The Indian High Commission in the Maldives states that in addition to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, medical tourism will be introduced to the Maldives with the establishment of the Cancer Hospital in L. Gan, which is being built with aid from the Indian Government.
A team, inclusive of two oncologists from TATA Memorial Center (TMC) visited the Maldives from September 2 - 5 in regards to the cancer hospital project.
The high commission commented that when requested from the Maldivian government for aid to build a cancer hospital in L. Gan, a team form TMC was sent to make a preliminary service and ascertain the resources and services currently available.
Under the project, an international level hospital will be built in L. Gan which will provide tests and diagnosis, along with recovery and rehabilitation facilities and services for cancer patients. It is predicted that medical tourism in the Maldives will begin with the hospital. Furthermore, a registry of cancer patients throughout the country shall be drawn up as well.
The high commission said that training programs shall be conducted in order to attain staff. 250 Maldivians including nurses, doctors, technicians, administrative staff and those who work in other cancer related areas will be trained under the aforementioned program.
The high commission stressed that Maldivians will be prioritized in the program.
The project was announced in 2019 during a video conference call between the President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Every year, 400 people are newly diagnosed with cancer in the Maldives. It is also the third leading cause of death in the country. Services such as radiation and further diagnosis along with certain surgeries related to cancer can also only be accomplished abroad.
The TMC is the cancer center associated with preventing cancer, running training programs and researches into the disease. 30,000 new patients seek care at the hospital each year. And 8,500 major surgeries are done with 5,000 patients being given radiation and chemotherapy.
The project fills both requirements of progressing the health sector and increasing the sector’s’ standard in accordance with the relationship between Maldives and India. In addition to capital production, developing human resources is also a crucial aim. Discussions between TMC and the Maldivian Health ministry about the training program are currently ongoing. In these discussions how the day-to-day proceedings of the hospital will be conducted are finalized.
Under a USD 800 million Line of Credit from the Exim Bank in India, this project is among other which are returned with a 1.75 percent interest rate over a 20-year period. And a five-year grace period is given before the repaying must commence.
