Vilimalé Hospital: government’s ever-shifting timelines

The government has once again issued a revised timeline for the Vilimalé Hospital, after previously insisting that practical work would begin in 2024 and the facility would become operational the following year.

The project, long plagued by delays, is now being presented with yet another assurance, that services will be available before the current administration’s term ends.

The latest completion date was announced by Minister of Construction, Housing and Infrastructure Dr. Abdulla Muththalib during an event on Sunday night where President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu met with Vilimalé residents. This marks the third instance in which the administration has publicly adjusted the hospital’s timeline.

Muththalib highlighted that when the government assumed office, a substantial portion of Chinese grant aid had been earmarked for Vilimalé. Based on that decision, work on a 100-bed hospital was initiated early in the administration and is reportedly ongoing. He stressed that projects funded through Chinese grant aid involve numerous stages.

The Minister outlined that preparing final detailed designs and tender documents would require five months. As a result, he expects practical work to begin by mid-next year or in the third quarter, with completion projected within a maximum of two years. He added that the hospital would be outfitted with modern facilities once finished.

However, this latest projection contradicts earlier statements from senior officials. Former Minister of Health and current Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Abdulla Khaleel previously declared that construction of the 100-bed hospital would begin in 2024. In an interview with state media on 27 December 2023, he asserted that practical work would start that same year and that the hospital would be completed, with services available within three years.

Similarly, Malé Group of Hospitals CEO Ibrahim Abdulla Razzaq Haleem stated on 9 December 2024, that practical work for the Vilimalé Hospital would commence by mid-this year. He noted that discussions had taken place between the Maldivian and Chinese governments, culminating in a signed Minutes of the Meeting, and confirmed that the feasibility study had been carried out by China’s CIDCA company.

At that time, the government maintained that China would identify a company for the tender phase within six months. It also claimed that practical work would begin by mid-this year and conclude within two years.