Pres. Muizzu repeats health sector promises amid ongoing service shortfalls
Muizzu announced plans to install decompression chambers in multiple cities and introduce MRI services in tertiary hospitals within six months
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu speaking to the Th. Guraidhoo community - 25.09.2025.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has reiterated a series of previously announced health sector development plans, promising significant infrastructure upgrades across the Maldives over the next six months.
The latest commitments were made during his tour of four atolls, while addressing residents in Guraidhoo island of Thaa atoll.
Among the pledges is the inauguration of the Senahiya Hyperbaric Center in Guraidhoo and the installation of decompression chambers in Addu City, Fuvahmulah, Villingili, Rasdhoo, Thinadhoo, and the capital Malé City, all expected within four months.
The president also promised that MRI services would be introduced in all tertiary hospitals currently lacking them, and that CT machines would be placed in all urban centers within six months.
Further announcements include plans to establish full dental care services in 15 atoll hospitals within the next four months. These initiatives are positioned as part of the government’s broader effort to decentralize healthcare access and reduce reliance on Malé.
Despite these repeated promises, there has been little visible progress. In May 2025, Muizzu had declared the health sector as the first area to be digitalized under the government’s "Maldives 2.0" initiative, yet no updates or details about this digital transformation have been made public since.
While the administration continues to stress its focus on infrastructure development and workforce expansion, concrete outcomes remain limited. So far, most observed activity has been the awarding of contracts to government-owned companies for construction of health facilities, without corresponding improvements in service delivery.
The president also previously claimed that health sector projects worth over MVR 400 million were underway nationwide. However, public frustration is growing amid reports of deteriorating healthcare quality, with an increasing number of complaints over medicine shortages, particularly through the national health insurance scheme, Aasandha.
Despite high-profile announcements and ambitious targets, the gap between policy promises and on-the-ground realities in the healthcare system remains a point of concern for many Maldivians.
